The POINT Intercity Bus Service is a four-route,

intercity bus An intercity bus service (North American English) or intercity coach service (British English and Commonwealth English), also called a long-distance, express, over-the-road, commercial, long-haul, or highway bus or coach service, is a public t ...

service sponsored by the

Oregon Department of Transportation The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) is a department of the state government of the U.S. state of Oregon responsible for systems of transportation. It was first established in 1969. It had been preceded by the Oregon State Highway De ...

(ODOT). The service is administered by ODOT's Public Transportation Division as part of its intercity grant program. The POINT service exists to connect towns and rural communities with major transportation hubs and urban centers. ODOT accomplishes this by filling gaps in Oregon's long distance transit network where no public services exist and which would otherwise be unprofitable for private companies. Tickets for POINT services are sold through multiple ticketeing systems, including the

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

Greyhound The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a dog breed, breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Some are kept as show dogs or pets. Greyhounds are defined as a tall, muscular, smooth-c ...

, and

FlixBus FlixBus (; styled FLiXBUS) is a German brand that offers low-cost Intercity bus service, intercity coach services in Europe, North America, South America and Asia. It is owned by , which also operates FlixTrain, FlixCar, , and Greyhound Lines. F ...

national networks. When purchasing tickets through Amtrak, POINT services are marketed as part of the

Amtrak Thruway Amtrak Thruway is a system of through-ticketed transportation services to connect passengers with areas not served by Amtrak trains. In most cases these are dedicated motorcoach routes, but can also be non-dedicated intercity bus services, transi ...

network.

History

ODOT began investing heavily in intercity bus services in 1994. The decline in

service in Oregon in the late 1990s led to a rise in local private operators. Over time, to better meet the travel needs of Oregonians and draw more ridership, ODOT created the POINT program through "a mixture of new service, expanded service and service re-branding that relies on public-private partnerships with private bus operators." The service is operated by private bus companies under contract to ODOT. MTR Western operates the Cascades and Eastern Routes, Northwest Navigator operates the NorthWest Route, and Pacific Crest Bus Lines operates the SouthWest Route. In 2019, the former High Desert POINT route was discontinued and is now operated by Pacific Crest Bus Lines as an

service from Redmond to

Klamath Falls Klamath Falls ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Klamath County, Oregon, United States. The city was originally called ''Linkville'' when George Nurse founded the town in 1867. It was named after the Link River, on whose falls the city wa ...

Routes

* Cascades Route (established July 2012), operating from Portland (

Union Station A union station, union terminal, joint station, or joint-use station is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway company, railway companies, allowing passengers to connect conveniently bet ...

) to the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...

(Eugene) stopping at Tualatin Woodburn Salem and Albany before stopping in Eugene * Eastern Route (established February 2011), operating from Bend to

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

with stops in Brothers Riley Burns Buchanan Drewsey Juntura Harper and Vale before stopping at Ontario * NorthWest Route (established March 2010): Portland (

) to Astoria with stops at Beaverton Hillsboro North Plains Elsie Cannon Beach Seaside Gearhart Warrenton before stopping at Astoria * SouthWest Route (established April 2009):

to Medford and Cave Junction to Brookings, with service in between Medford and Cave Junction provided by Josephine Community Transit

References

External links

*{{official website, http://www.oregon-point.com/ Bus transportation in Oregon Transit agencies in Oregon Bus transportation in California Intercity bus companies of the United States