PORTLAND, Ore.-Intercity bus service along I-84 between Portland and Boise is rolling again, thanks to an Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) grant.
“Residents rely on transit to reach vital services, from healthcare and employment to education and family support,” said Suzanne Carlson, ODOT Public Transportation Division Administrator. “This new bus route restores access, connecting travelers to Amtrak, airports, and regional and national bus lines, opening the door to seamless mobility across the United States.”
Rural communities along I-84 have been without bus service since Greyhound ended its Portland to Boise route in January of this year.
The $600,000 Federal Transit Administration Intercity Bus Program grant, awarded to Northwestern Stage Lines, will fund service of the route between The Dalles and the Boise Airport for one year.
“We’re always excited to add new intercity bus service to the many communities that rely on this type of service,” said Jacob Price, owner of Northwestern Stage Lines. “The communities that we will be able to serve in Oregon are no different.”
Northwestern Stage Lines operates throughout the Northwest and over a hundred other cities, and its I-84 Service Route includes Portland, Hood River, The Dalles, Boardman, Pasco, Hermiston, Pendleton, La Grande, Baker City, Ontario, Nampa and Boise.
According to the ODOT, the new bus route will serve as a vital connection to family, work, entertainment and healthcare in rural Oregon.
“This new service along I-84 will help get people back to their families, friends and serve a basic human need for mobility,” said Joe Hayes, County Operations Manager with Community Connection of Baker County.
Northwestern Stage Line’s Portland to Boise route will start on December 15, with a bus leaving Portland’s Union Station at 10:45 a.m. expected to reach the Boise Airport at 8:10 p.m.
