| Slogan | Providing and Promoting Efficient Transportation[1] |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1975[2] |
| Headquarters |
3200 Crater Lake Ave. Medford, Oregon 97504 |
| Service area | Rogue Valley |
| Service type | Transit bus |
| Routes | 8[3] |
| Stops | 38[3][4] |
| Stations |
Front Street Station[3] 200 S. Front St. Medford, Oregon 97501 |
| Fleet | 23 transit buses |
| Fuel type | compressed natural gas and diesel |
| Manager | Julie Brown[5] |
| Web site | Official Web site |
Rogue Valley Transportation District is a transportation district serving the greater Jackson County area. The district serves the cities of Medford, Ashland, White City, Phoenix, Talent, Jacksonville, and Central Point.[3] The district also provides paratransit services to older adults and people with disabilities within its route coverage area.[6]
The Rogue Valley Transportation District (RVTD) was established May 6, 1975 upon the passing of a special election measure allowing the county to establish a transportation district funded by Oregon tax dollars.[7] Two years later after considerable planning and procurement of funding, the first transit buses took the streets of Medford, with service beginning in July 1977.[8]
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The impetus for creating RVTD arose from the failure of its predecessor, a private company named Mount Ashland Stage Lines, which had provided bus service in the Rogue Valley from 1965 until 1974, when it went bankrupt and ceased operating.[8] Area voters approved the creation of a new public transit district in 1975, but funding for operations was not included, and subsequent requests for authorization of a property-tax increase to fund the service were rejected at the ballot box.[8] The district's board scaled back the original plans by about 35 percent before finally gaining voter approval of operations funding. The service that was inaugurated in July 1977, initially operating under the name, Rogue Rapids Transit, comprised just three buses serving six routes.[8] Initial ridership on the fledging system was better than expected, prompting the city of Medford to agree to purchase three vans for RVTD's use, which were used for a new shuttle service in the downtown area starting in November 1977.[8] The district's bus fleet has since grown to 23 vehicles.
RVTD currently operates eight bus routes through the cities of Medford, Ashland, Jacksonville, Phoenix, Talent and White City with aspirations to add more in the coming future.[9] All buses run Monday through Friday. There is currently no weekend service. All bus routes begin and terminate at the central transfer station located at Front Street between 4th and 6th Street.
The Rogue Valley Transportation District operates paratransit service known as Valley Lift. It is offered to senior citizens, people of physical or mental disability, or people who are unable to utilize fixed route buses for other reasons. Service is limited to areas which are no more than 3/4 of a mile by air from any fixed bus route. Such can be seen in their system map. People wishing to utilize the service must apply with RVTD after establishing their eligibility for Valley Lift.
There are various methods to pay fares on RVTD buses. The most popular is cash; however, prepaid options are available. These options include tokens, day passes, monthly passes, as well as punch cards for 20 rides each. Passes, tokens, and punch cards can be purchased at any three of these locations:
Cash Fares Fare Type Description Price Full Fare Fare for adults (18 to 61) travelling anywhere in the district $2.00 Reduced Fare Fare for juniors (17-), seniors (62+), and people of disability 1 $1.00 Ashland city limits Full fare for all passengers in the City of Ashland 2 $1.00[11] Transfers Allow for reboarding of RVTD buses for 90 minutes 3 Free
1. Some individuals may be required to furnish proof of age or a valid Valley Lift ID.
2. Fare is only valid on Route 10 and Route 15 between Jackson WellSprings and Tolman Creek Rd.
3. Transfers may be used any number of times within the 90-minute timeframe. People holding transfers which have been modified or mutilated in any way may be required to pay a second fare.
Passes and Tokens Prepaid Type Description Price Price
(Effective 1st Feb)1 Month Pass
(Full Fare)All-month travel pass for adults (18 to 61) valid anywhere in the coverage area $70.00 $56.00 1 Month Pass
(Reduced Fare)All-month travel pass for juniors (17-), seniors (62+), and people with disabilities2 $35.00 $28.00 20 Ride Punch-Card
(Full Fare)Covers 20 boardings and is valid throughout the coverage area 1 $40.00 $32.00 20 Ride Punch-Card
(Reduced Fare)Covers 20 boardings per card, valid for juniors (17-), seniors (62+) and people with disabilities 1,2 $20.00 $16.00 10 pack Tokens
(Full Fare)Covers 1 boarding per token, valid anywhere in the coverage area 1 $20.00 $16.00 10 pack Tokens
(Reduced Fare)Covers 1 boarding per token for juniors (17-), seniors (62+), and people with disabilities1,2 $10.00 $8.00
1. Usage of one boarding with the noted methods entitles the user to a free 90-minute bus transfer, valid on all buses.
2. Only valid for the groups mentioned, two passes cannot be combined. Some individuals may be required to furnish proof of age or a valid Valley Lift ID.
Valley Lift Fare Chart Fare Type Description Price Full Fare Full fare one-way for adults (18 to 61) travelling anywhere in the coverage area $4.00 Ashland city limits Full fare one-way for all passengers in the City of Ashland 1 $2.00
1. Fare is only valid in the Route 10 and Route 15 service area between Jackson WellSprings and Tolman Creek Rd.
Fleet Statistics Manufacturer Model Year Built Vehicle Length Fuel Type # in fleet New Flyer C35LF 2006 35 feet CNG 2 New Flyer C35LF 2004 35 feet CNG 10 New Flyer D35lf 2010 35 feet Diesel 3 Gillig Phantom 1990 35 feet Diesel 2 GMC New Look 1980 35 feet Diesel 6
Rogue Valley Transportation District operates a fleet of 23 buses, 3 paratransit buses, as well as a myriad of paratransit vans. Roughly 65% of the current transit bus fleet is powered by cleaner-burning compressed natural gas (abbreviated CNG) engines. RVTD was among the first transportation districts in the state of Oregon to operate a majority CNG fleet, originally acquiring their first prototype buses, the Blue Bird Xcel from Blue Bird Corporation, in 1994.[15]
Today RVTD has phased out the Blue Bird CNG vehicles in favor of the 35 foot natural gas coach manufactured by New Flyer Industries. These newer buses provide for greater fuel capacity of 3600 psi compared to their predecessors 3000 psi limit (allowing greater range on one fill-up), provide space for more passengers (65 seated and standees compared to 50 seated and standees), a low floor design with fully automated wheelchair ramp (compared to the partially automated wheelchair lift), easier passenger boarding and deboarding, as well as a more powerful engine.[16][17]
In addition to their natural gas buses, the Rogue Valley Transportation District also operates diesel transit coaches in efforts to diversify their fuel usage. This has several key advantages including switching over to primarily diesel usage in the event of a natural gas price hike or vice versa. RVTD runs the diesel Newflyer coach and the Gillig Phantom transit bus exclusively, however that may change as future fleet acquisitions occur. Previously in district history the entire fleet consisted of the New Look with a blue, yellow, and white paint scheme but the coaches have since been phased out.
All RVTD buses feature the standard amenities one can come to expect from any transit agency. For example all buses are equipped with front bike racks manufactured by SportsWorks, allowing up to two bicycles to be carried with their corresponding riders ). Each bus is equipped with both forward cabin and rear cabin heating units keeping each bus at a warm, comfortable temperature during the winter. Most of the buses also have air conditioning as well, save for the 4500 series (the GMC New Looks) which do not have A/C. All buses have padded frontal seats for additional comfort, with the 4500 series featuring both front and rear padded seats.[18]
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilites Act of 1990 all RVTD buses feature some form of wheelchair ramp or lift as well as securement methods for the chairs themselves. The design in all buses allows a maximum of two wheelchairs to be secured safely in the bus at any given time. Currently there is no automated time point stop announcement system on the buses; they are called out by the operator instead. This is set to change though as the district is in the process of requesting proposals for the installation of such a system throughout all the buses(system is currently installed and under testing).[19]
RVTD's planning department includes a transportation demand management (TDM) program. Primarily funded by Region 3 of the Oregon Department of Transportation, the TDM program uses various techniques to promote alternatives to driving alone. Among these techniques are a group bus pass program, bicycle and pedestrian encouragement and education activities, carpool matching, transit marketing, and outreach to local government jurisdictions.[20]