Statesman Journal from Salem, Oregon • Page 79

StatesmanJoumal.com 39 TUESDAY, APRIL 29, 2003 Salem transit system has many options till luil lJ One-way fares are 75 cents for adults, 50 cents for youths and 35 cents for seniors. Monthly passes are $20 for adults age 19 to 59, $1 5 for for youths age six to 18 and $10 for disabled riders and for seniors age 60 and older. Kids 5 and younger ride for free. Riders will begin to see newer buses introduced this spring. BY CARA ROBERTS MUREZ Statesman Journal For Salem Area Mass Transit riders, this year is bringing a different payment new earth-friendlier buses, expanded commuter service and talk of a trolley on rails.

The hub of bus service is the R.G. Andersen-Wyckoff Transit Mall, located at Courthouse Square at High and Court streets in downtown Salem. Cherriots has 25 routes that take riders around Salem and Keizer. Rural bus service coordinated by the transit district goes from the transit mall to Polk County and the Santiam Canyon areas. Cherriots offers service from Metro Area Rapid Transit About 3,000 passengers every month hop on the free Salem Express IX bus, a number expected to jump to 5,000 by June.

The transit district and the city of Salem are considering partnering on a streetcar that would run on a 3-mile to 4-mile loop of track from downtown Salem to other areas within the city. For now, riders can ride two dozen new Cherriots buses that will start taking passengers this spring. The Orion VII buses will be lower to the ground, have a wheelchair ramp instead of a lift, be equipped with surveillance cameras and run on compressed natural gas instead of dieseL They are replacements for about a third of the the 70-vehi-cle fleet, reducing the district's median bus age from 17 to 10 years. requests are for more frequent service on well-traveled routes and for routes that stretch into more neighborhoods, also not planned for the near future. Ridership continues to increase because of population growth and new services that started when the new transit mall opened in October 2000.

Rising gas prices also have made public transit a more viable choice, said transit general manager Jeff Hamm. Ridership is up 7 percent so far in 2003 and grew 6'a percent in 2002. Use of transit by disabled riders also is growing, with use of special CherryLift buses up 12 percent in 2002 and up 17 percent so far in 2003. Rider-ship is expected to exceed 5 million rides this year. Free commuter bus service between Salem and Wilsonville grew this year when Cherriots joined Wilsonville's South Salem bus riders have a new payment option that began in March.

They now can pay with day passes, in addition to oneway fares and monthly passes. Passengers can ride as many times as they want in a single day for the price of two one-way fares. The "Fareless Square'' special downtown free-fare offer continues. Riders can take the bus within a square bordered by Mission, Front, Union and 12th streets for free. Included in the square are the Capitol, the carousel, Bush's Pasture Park and Salem Center shopping malL Another free option is a shuttle that continues to run to the West Salem transit center located behind Roth's on Glen Creek Road NW.

Cara Roberts Murez can be reached at (503) 399-6750 or cararStatesmanJoumal.com Services, t- 6:15 a.m. to 9:45 p.m. Monday through Friday except for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Riders can catch buses between 7:45 a.m. and 9:45 p.m.

on Saturdays. Although riders ask for Sunday service more frequently than anything else not currently offered by the transit district, it won't be started anytime soon because of the poor economic conditions in the state. The other most popular 51 Hen In Home Care and Support Chemeketa Community College to Fire Rescue Class to 5 Engine' 307 is where you want to on In Home Care and Support Services, the area's most respected home care provider. We understand your desire to stay in your own home, and offer a variety of services to help you do just that. Call us when you need: Homemaking Personal Care Live-in Companions RN Case Management IN HOME CARE AND SUPPORT SERVICES We respect your inJepenJence.

Serving Salem, Albany, and surrounding communities. Salem: 503-363-4733 Albany: 541-928-6682 Getting to class is just one of the many reasons why thousands of people ride Cherriots. Give us a try! For more information, call 503-588-BUSS. "7 r. tdts A Com ULIM AH.

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