Facing a budget deficit, the Sunset Empire Transportation District ended its services on Sunday, leaving transit-dependent riders with few options.
Oregon’s Sunset Empire Transportation District, which provides transit service to Clatsop County and between Astoria and Portland, suspended service last weekend as the agency struggles with a massive financial shortfall. As Ethan Myers reports for The Astorian in an article republished in Mass Transit, “The transit district's board voted unanimously on Thursday afternoon to discontinue operations indefinitely and furlough employees.”
“The message is we will not be offering any public transportation services effective Saturday due to the financial situation that we're in. We will get it restarted as soon as we have a financial package in place. And we'll get the process to restart up and running as soon as possible,” said executive director Jeff Hazen.
The loss of service will likely have a significant negative impact on local residents, many of whom used the system to get to work, run errands, and access medical appointments. According to Hazen, ridership rose by 11 percent this year.
FULL STORY: OR: Sunset Empire Transportation District to suspend operations
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