Saturday Bus Service Starts this Weekend

DAYTON – Columbia County Public Transportation will offer ride service on Saturdays starting June 3, both in Dayton and on a round-trip route from Dayton to Walla Walla.

The decision to start this program was made in spite of CCPT not receiving a grant it had applied for to fund the service, according to Interim General Manager Dwight Robanske. Many people had requested the service to be available on Saturdays, as they are busy with work during the operating hours on weekdays.

This will be the first summer that CCPT is offering this service. There will be one bus operating in the Dayton city limits, and the fares are the same as the standard weekday rates of $1 per day for riders aged 60 and up, and $1.50 per boarding for all those ages five to 59.

For service to Walla Walla, the rates will be $7.50 for a round trip and $5 for a one-way ride. Two buses will be running, and the departure times from Dayton are 9 and 10 am, and 1 and 2 pm. The routes will make stops in Waitsburg and Dixie. The three major stops for the busses in Walla Walla are the Walla Walla Transit Transfer Station, Walmart in College Place, and a stop in the Eastgate district.

Since this will be the service’s initial summer, Robanske said that CCPT will judge the future of the program based on its success this year.

One potential issue will be if the buses can get high numbers of riders despite students not needing the service in the summer months. Assuming that the program continues, CCPT will reapply for the grant in coming years.

Columbia County Public Transportation is located at 507 W. Cameron in Dayton. The office is opened from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mon. - Fri., and can be reached at (509) 382-1647 or http://www.ccptransit.org.