May 11—The Sunset Empire Transportation District will look to bring back bus service on U.S. Highway 101 between Astoria and Cannon Beach.
Starting Monday, the transit district will run a limited version of Route 101 on weekdays. Buses will go from the transit center in Astoria and head east to Emerald Heights and Alderbrook before returning to Astoria and heading south to Cannon Beach and back. The route, which will run four times a day, will make stops in Warrenton, Gearhart and Seaside.
On May 20, the agency will also relaunch the Pacific Connector, which provides service on weekends between Astoria and Cannon Beach. The weekend route does not serve the Emerald Heights and Alderbrook areas.
Bus fare remains $1.
“These new routes will give riders transportation between Astoria, Seaside and Cannon Beach seven days a week,” Paul Lewicki, the interim executive director, said in a statement. “We are pleased to bring these routes back to the community as we continue to cautiously move forward.”
Partial paratransit and Dial-A-Ride services were reintroduced on Monday. Paratransit, which requires an application to determine eligibility for use, benefits disabled riders who can not utilize fixed-route bus services. Dial-A-Ride provides rides to Astoria and Warrenton from underserved areas around Jeffers Garden, John Day, Svensen and Knappa.
The transit district suspended bus and other operations across Clatsop County at the end of April due to a financial collapse. The agency received a $505,000 loan from the state last week to help get service back up and running.
Lewicki has taken over for Jeff Hazen, the former executive director, who resigned. The state has said it would audit the transit district to help sort through the financial situation.
Information on the available bus routes can be found on the transit district’s Facebook page, at bus shelters and at nworegontransit.org.