Bus Routes Added on Oregon Coast, Valley-to-Coast Runs

Published 12/04/23 a 4:45 a.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Newport, Oregon) – Bus and train connections between the valley and the central Oregon coast just got a little easier, as Lincoln County Transit (LCT) recently started Sunday service from Waldport to Yachats, Sunday service on its Blue Line and it has restored some routes in eastern Lincoln County. (Near Newport - Oregon Coast Beach Connection)

LCT also said it is synchronizing some bus service with Benton Area Transit so that riders from the Oregon coast to the Valley Express can also catch the train on time out of Albany.

All of this started at the beginning of December.

It marks the first time LCT has ever offered South County and Blue Line routes with a Sunday schedule. When COVID hit, ridership decreased substantially, causing LCT to also cut Saturday service on the East County line. That has now returned.

“Saturday and Sunday service will have the same stop locations and times as weekday buses,” said Cynda Bruce, director of Lincoln County Transit.

Using NWConnector.org, you can see the lineup of bus routes between Salem, Albany and Portland, and then from those valley towns over to Astoria, Tillamoook, Lincoln City, Newport and Yachats.

Sunday service was the thing most requested by the public as they were in the planning stages.

“So we’re delighted to be able to respond in this way,” Bruce said.

Bruce said the agency is excited about these new option to riders, including the return of the routes that had disappeared. This expanded service was largely due to two main factors: driver new hires and an increase in demand.

There's still a piece of the Oregon coast transportation puzzle missing, however.

While there are a good deal of newly-hired drivers, there are still more needed. She said hiring a few more should allow them to kick off the new Waldport Loop route. Lincoln County Transit received a $224,640 grant from the Oregon Department of Transportation in 2021 to fund the city circuit, but it’s been unable to run the service without sufficient staff.

See https://www.co.lincoln.or.us/361/Transit

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Andre' GW Hagestedt is editor, owner and primary photographer / videographer of Oregon Coast Beach Connection, an online publication that sees over 1 million pageviews per month. He is also author of several books about the coast.

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