Ride Bend, a free summer shuttle for Bend’s greater downtown area, rolls out June 23rd, with daily service until Labor Day.  The goal of this route is to provide transit service for visitors and residents to connect between downtown Bend, the Old Mill District, and other popular destinations near Bend’s core.  The service is free to the public and is made possible by a partnership between the City of Bend, Visit Bend, and Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council (which operates Cascades East Transit).

Riders can use Ride Bend between 2 p.m. and 10 p.m., seven days a week throughout the summer.  Ride Bend will be offered free of charge and buses will run every 15 minutes, circulating in a clockwise loop between downtown Bend, the Old Mill District, the OSU-Cascades campus, and Galveston Avenue.  Dial-A-Ride service will also be provided for ADA riders who are unable to use the fixed-route service.  All buses and bus stops on the Ride Bend route are ADA accessible.

“I’m really excited about the opportunity to demonstrate the ease of using transit and the value it adds to our community,” said Mayor Pro Tem Sally Russell. “Ride Bend will be simple and convenient for visitors and locals who want to get around this great city’s core areas without getting in their cars this summer. It will also demonstrate how public transportation can help alleviate traffic and parking congestion, which our community has expressed concerns about as Bend grows.”

“We are honored to support Ride Bend. It gives us the opportunity to share tips from our Visit Like a Local campaign, encouraging visitors to the area to recreate responsibly and to make the most out of their visit while interacting with the Bend community. Most visitors know about the plethora of outdoor recreation opportunities, but we want to provide our guests with a way to be less automobile dependent while enjoying all that this central area of Bend has to offer after a day of play,” said Kevney Dugan, Executive Director of Visit Bend.

The community is invited to attend Ride Bend’s launch celebration this Friday, June 23rd, at 1:30 p.m. at the southwest corner of Franklin Avenue and Wall Street downtown.  Ride Bend’s maiden voyage will commence at 2:00 p.m.