Hermiston has H.A.R.T.
Or at least it will come Jan. 2. The Hermiston City Council chose Hermiston Area Regional Transit or H.A.R.T. for short for the new bus system that goes into effect after New Year’s Day.
The council voted for H.A.R.T. unanimously from among the four finalists for the new bus system. The council chose the name the public had overwhelmingly favored in a series of public surveys. The other contenders were Watermelon Express, Bulldog Express and Hermiston Looper.
At their Nov. 14 meeting, the council approved a contract with the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) to provide bus service during the day Monday through Friday free of charge for all residents.
The plan calls for a single bus to make up to six loops throughout the city during the hours of 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Hermiston Public Transit Advisory Committee, in coming up with the route and the various bus stops, aims to have a bus stop within a quarter mile of nearly every resident in the city, making it easier for residents to get to the stops. The bus will make its way around the proposed route at least once per hour.
The bus will have CTUIR’s Kayak Public Transit on the side, but a lighted reader board above the bus will say H.A.R.T., said Hermiston Assistant City Manager Mark Morgan.
