Oregon transit retains Paratransit Services

The City of Bend, Ore., has elected to retain Paratransit Services as operator of Bend Area Transit.

The new contract, which is in the process of being finalized, is expected to become effective in January 2009. It will have a base term of three years with two one-year extensions.

Serving a growing central Oregon community of 77,780 people, Bend Area Transit provides fixed-route and curb-to-curb Dial-A-Ride service to the general public. Paratransit Services personnel operate the system from a facility in Bend, with corporate support from company headquarters in Bremerton, Wash.

Founded in northwestern Washington in 1980, Paratransit Services currently operates accessible public transit systems in Washington State, Oregon and Northern California. They have operated Bend Area Transit since Dec. 1, 2003.