For the first time Lincoln County is offering Sunday bus service between Yachats, Waldport and its transit hub in Newport as well as between Siletz and Newport.
The Lincoln County Transit agency also announced Friday it is restoring Saturday service on its east county route between Newport and Toledo.
Also, in cooperation with Benton Area Transit, the county bus service is changing some stop times on the Coast to Valley Express to ensure passengers can catch the Amtrak train in Albany.
It is the first time Lincoln County Transit has offered Sunday service on the south county and Blue Line (Siletz, Toledo and Newport) routes.
The Saturday and Sunday bus service will have the same stop locations and times as the weekday schedule.
The agency previously had Saturday service on the east county route but discontinued it due to a drop in ridership during the Covid pandemic. Saturday and Sunday service will have the same stop locations and times as weekday buses.
“We’re so excited to offer these new options to our riders and bring back a service previously enjoyed by our east county customers,” transit director Cynda Brice said in a news release announcing the changes.
Bruce said the expanded service was possible because of two factors — increased demand and newly hired drivers.
“When we were working on the transit plan, Sunday service was one of the things most requested by the public, so we’re delighted to be able to respond in this way,” Bruce said.
While the agency’s driver roster has expanded, more drivers are still needed.
Bruce said hiring a few more should allow LCT to start the long-promised inner-city Waldport Loop service. The Oregon Department of Transportation gave the county agency a $224,640 grant in 2021 to fund the Waldport circuit, but it’s been unable to operate it because it lacked qualified drivers.
Driver applications can be found at tinyurl.com/LCTransitApply. The county offers free training, competitive pay and benefits.