POINT Intercity Bus Service

Last updated
POINT Intercity Bus Service
Cascades POINT at Union Station (22693236666).jpg
A POINT bus at Portland Union Station in 2015
Parent Oregon Department of Transportation
Commenced operationApril 2009 (April 2009)
Service area Oregon
Service type Intercity bus
Routes4
Operator MTR Western, Pacific Crest Bus Lines, Northwest Navigator
Website oregon-point.com

The POINT Intercity Bus Service is a four-route, intercity bus service of the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). The service is administered by ODOT's Public Transportation Division as part of its intercity grant program. [1] The POINT service exists to connect towns and rural communities with major transportation hubs and urban centers. ODOT accomplishes this by filling gaps in Oregon's long distance transit network where no public services exist and which would otherwise be unprofitable for private companies.

Contents

The service functions like a thruway bus service for Amtrak in that it makes direct connections to passenger rail service and sells tickets using Amtrak's system. However, Amtrak does not own or contract POINT buses and the service is open to the general public, not just Amtrak train passengers. The POINT program is similar to the Travel Washington buses in neighboring Washington.

History

ODOT began investing heavily in intercity bus services in 1994. [2] The decline in Greyhound service in Oregon in the late 1990s led to a rise in local private operators. [3] Over time, to better meet the travel needs of Oregonians and draw more ridership, ODOT created the POINT program through "a mixture of new service, expanded service and service re-branding that relies on public-private partnerships with private bus operators." [2]

The service is operated by private bus companies under contract to ODOT. [4] MTR Western operates the Cascades and Eastern Routes, [5] [6] Northwest Navigator operates the NorthWest Route, [7] and Pacific Crest Bus Lines operates the SouthWest Route. [8]

In 2019, the former High Desert POINT route was discontinued and is now operated by Pacific Crest Bus Lines as an Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach service from Redmond to Klamath Falls. [9]

Routes

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milwaukie, Oregon</span> City in Oregon, United States

Milwaukie is a city mostly in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States; a very small portion of the city extends into Multnomah County. The population was 21,119 at the 2020 census. Founded in 1847 on the banks of the Willamette River, the city, known as the Dogwood City of the West, was incorporated in 1903 and is the birthplace of the Bing cherry. The city is now a suburb of Portland and also adjoins the unincorporated areas of Clackamas and Oak Grove.

Amtrak<i> Cascades</i> Amtrak service between Vancouver, BC and Eugene, OR

The Amtrak Cascades is a passenger train corridor in the Pacific Northwest, operated by Amtrak in partnership with the U.S. states of Washington and Oregon. It is named after the Cascade mountain range that the route parallels. The 467-mile (752 km) corridor runs from Vancouver, British Columbia, through Seattle, Washington and Portland, Oregon to Eugene, Oregon.

<i>Coast Starlight</i> Amtrak service between Seattle and Los Angeles

The Coast Starlight is a passenger train operated by Amtrak on the West Coast of the United States between Seattle and Los Angeles via Portland and the San Francisco Bay Area. The train, which has operated continuously since Amtrak's formation in 1971, was the first to offer direct service between Seattle and Los Angeles. Its name is a combination of two prior Southern Pacific (SP) trains, the Coast Daylight and the Starlight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portland Union Station</span> Train station in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Portland Union Station is a train station in Portland, Oregon, United States, situated near the western shore of the Willamette River in Old Town Chinatown. It serves as an intermediate stop for Amtrak's Cascades and Coast Starlight routes and, along with King Street Station in Seattle, is one of two western termini of the Empire Builder. The station is a major transport hub for the Portland metropolitan area with connections to MAX Light Rail, the Portland Streetcar, and local and intercity bus services. The station building contains Wilf's Restaurant & Bar on the ground level and offices on the upper floors. It also has Amtrak's first Metropolitan Lounge on the West Coast, which is reserved for first-class sleeping car and business-class passengers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amtrak Thruway</span> Connecting transportation services brand

Amtrak Thruway is a system of through-ticketed transportation services to connect passengers with areas not served by Amtrak trains. In most cases these are dedicated motorcoach routes, but can also be non-dedicated intercity bus services, transit buses, vans, taxis, ferry boats and commuter rail trains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MAX Red Line</span> Light rail line in Portland, Oregon

The MAX Red Line is a light rail service in Portland, Oregon, United States, operated by TriMet as part of the MAX Light Rail system. An airport rail link, it runs from central Beaverton to Portland International Airport via Northeast Portland and Portland City Center. The Red Line serves 26 stations; it interlines with the Blue Line and partially with the Green Line from Beaverton Transit Center to Gateway/Northeast 99th Avenue Transit Center and then operates a 5.5-mile (8.9 km) segment through to Portland International Airport station. Service runs for 22 hours per day with a headway of 15 minutes during most of the day. The Red Line is the second-busiest service in the MAX system with an average 10,310 passengers per weekday in September 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transportation in Portland, Oregon</span> Overview of movement of goods and passengers in Portland

Like transportation in the rest of the United States, the primary mode of local transportation in Portland, Oregon is the automobile. Metro, the metropolitan area's regional government, has a regional master plan in which transit-oriented development plays a major role. This approach, part of the new urbanism, promotes mixed-use and high-density development around light rail stops and transit centers, and the investment of the metropolitan area's share of federal tax dollars into multiple modes of transportation. In the United States, this focus is atypical in an era when automobile use led many areas to neglect their core cities in favor of development along interstate highways, in suburbs, and satellite cities.

Portland is "an international pioneer in transit orientated developments."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Everett Station</span> Amtrak and commuter train station in Everett, Washington

Everett Station is an Amtrak train station serving the city of Everett, Washington. The station has provided service to the Cascades and Empire Builder routes since its opening in 2002, replacing an earlier station near the Port of Everett. The four-story building also houses social service programs and is the center of a 10-acre (4 ha) complex that includes parking lots and a large bus station used primarily by Community Transit, Everett Transit, and Sound Transit Express. The station has served as the northern terminus of the Sounder N Line since 2003 and the Swift Blue Line since 2009. It consists of two side platforms, one serving Amtrak and the other serving Sounder commuter trains. Everett Station also functions as a park and ride, with 1,067 short-term parking spaces located in lots around the station after it was expanded by Sound Transit in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sacramento Valley Station</span> Railway station in Sacramento, California, US

Sacramento Valley Station is an Amtrak railway station in the city of Sacramento, California, at 401 I Street on the corner of Fifth Street. It is the seventh busiest Amtrak station in the country, and the second busiest in the Western United States with thousands of riders a day and over a million passengers per year. Today, it is served by 38 daily Amtrak and Amtrak California trains and many Amtrak Thruway Motorcoaches. It is also the western terminus of the Sacramento RT Gold Line light rail system and the Route 30 bus serving Sacramento State University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 5 in Oregon</span> Interstate highway in Oregon

Interstate 5 (I-5) in the U.S. state of Oregon is a major Interstate Highway that traverses the state from north to south. It travels to the west of the Cascade Mountains, connecting Portland to Salem, Eugene, Medford, and other major cities in the Willamette Valley and across the northern Siskiyou Mountains. The highway runs 308 miles (496 km) from the California state line near Ashland to the Washington state line in northern Portland, forming the central part of Interstate 5's route between Mexico and Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eugene–Springfield station</span> Train station in Eugene, Oregon, United States

Eugene–Springfield station is a train station in Eugene, Oregon, United States. It is served by Amtrak's Coast Starlight passenger train and is the southern terminus of the Amtrak Cascades corridor. The station is also served by the Cascades POINT bus service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salem station (Oregon)</span>

Salem station is an Amtrak train station in Salem, Oregon, United States. It is served by Amtrak Cascades corridor trains going to and from Portland, Oregon, as well as the long-distance Coast Starlight. Greyhound Lines and some regional buses also stop at the station.

Rail transportation is an important element of the transportation network in the U.S. state of Oregon. Rail transportation has existed in Oregon in some form since 1855, and the state was a pioneer in development of electric railway systems. While the automobile has displaced many uses of rail in the state, rail remains a key means of moving passengers and freight, both within the state and to points beyond its borders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rogue Valley Transportation District</span>

Rogue Valley Transportation District is a transportation district serving the greater Jackson County, Oregon area. The district serves the cities of Medford, Ashland, White City, Phoenix, Talent, Jacksonville, and Central Point. The district also provides paratransit services to older adults and people with disabilities within its route coverage area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tacoma Dome Station</span> Intermodal transportation hub in Tacoma, Washington

Tacoma Dome Station is a train station and transit hub in Tacoma, Washington, United States. It is served by Amtrak trains, the S Line of Sounder commuter rail, the T Line of Link light rail, and buses on local and intercity routes. Located near the Tacoma Dome south of Downtown Tacoma, the station consists of two train platforms used by Sounder and Amtrak trains, a platform for the T Line, a bus terminal, and two parking garages. The Sounder station is integrated into Freighthouse Square, a former Milwaukee Road depot that was converted into a shopping mall, and is on the east side of the Amtrak station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pacific Northwest Corridor</span> Higher-speed rail corridor in the United States

The Pacific Northwest Corridor or the Pacific Northwest Rail Corridor is one of eleven federally designated higher-speed rail corridors in the United States and Canada. The 466-mile (750 km) corridor extends from Eugene, Oregon, to Vancouver, British Columbia, via Portland, Oregon, and Seattle, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest region. It was designated a high-speed rail corridor on October 20, 1992, as the one of five high-speed corridors in the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape Fear Public Transportation Authority</span>

The Cape Fear Public Transportation Authority, operating as Wave Transit, is the public transportation operator for the metro area of Wilmington, North Carolina. Sixteen regular routes are provided, with all but one running seven days per week. A free downtown shuttle also runs using road trolleys.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue Bus lines</span>

The "Blue Bus" lines were a group of four affiliated privately owned public transportation companies that provided bus transit service in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area in the 1950s and 1960s. The name was unofficial but was in common use in the 1960s, and variations included "Blue Bus lines", "Blue Lines", "blue bus" lines and "blue buses". The Blue Bus companies provided service only between Portland and suburbs outside the city, or within such suburbs, as transit service within the city of Portland was the exclusive franchise of the Portland Traction Company or, after 1956, the Rose City Transit Company (RCT). The "blue buses" were prohibited from making stops inside the city except to pick up passengers destined for points outside RCT's service area. The "blue" name was a reference to the paint scheme worn by most buses of the consortium. By contrast, city transit operator Rose City's buses wore a primarily red paint scheme.

The transportation system of Oregon is a cooperation of complex systems of infrastructure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Travel Washington</span> Intercity bus service in U.S. state of Washington

Travel Washington is an intercity bus service in the U.S. state of Washington funded by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). It has four routes that connect major cities to other modes, including Amtrak and Greyhound Lines.

References

  1. "Intercity/Transit Network". Oregon Department of Transportation. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Expanded intercity bus service connects Oregon communities" (Press release). Oregon Department of Transportation. April 19, 2012. Archived from the original on September 25, 2015. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  3. Smith, Quinton (January 23, 2011). "Oregon's rural, intercity bus lines offer a hassle-free, affordable option for getting around". The Oregonian . Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  4. "POINT [Home page]". Oregon Department of Transportation. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  5. "Cascades POINT: About". Oregon Department of Transportation. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  6. "Eastern POINT: About". Oregon Department of Transportation. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  7. "Northwest POINT: About". Oregon Department of Transportation. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  8. "SouthWestPOINT: About". Oregon Department of Transportation. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  9. "Oregon POINT Facebook page". Facebook . Retrieved November 14, 2019.
  10. Foden-Vencil, Kristian (March 18, 2010). "New Bus Route To Connect Portland And Seaside". Oregon Public Broadcasting . Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  11. Fattig, Paul (April 15, 2009). "New bus system links Medford with coast". Mail Tribune . Medford, Oregon. Retrieved July 15, 2016.