About Salem-Keizer Transit

History of Salem-Keizer Transit

Salem-Keizer Transit — better known as Cherriots — provides bus service to the Salem-Keizer area with connections to Wilsonville, Woodburn, Silverton, Stayton, Dallas, Grand Ronde and more. All Cherriots services operate Monday through Friday. Special services include CherryLift ADA service, travel training and park and ride lots. Cherriots Rideshare provides carpool and vanpool matching to commuters at no cost.

Salem Area Mass Transit District was formed in 1979, with the purpose of securing an ongoing funding base for the service. Prior to that time, Cherriots had been part of the City of Salem. In 2003, the organization changed its name to Salem-Keizer Transit to better reflect the population it serves.

A nine-member, elected Board of Directors was created at the time the District was formed. The new Board took over the direction of staffing and operation of Cherriots in July 1981. Several levies were passed by voters through the years to support the transit system. In May of 1986, the District passed its first tax base measure to provide permanent funding support for transit in the Salem and Keizer area. That funding base, intended to maintain service for 5 years, provided the resources to maintain service and provide very modest growth into the early 1990’s.

By 1994, the District needed new revenue if it was to grow and meet an increasing need for public transit service. In May 1996 the voters of the District approved a new property tax base after an unsuccessful payroll tax measure. The new tax base provided for a significant increase in services, including later evening service, several new routes, and park & ride services. As a result, ridership increased by 50% over the next four years. Cherriots ridership grew from 2.7 million trips in 1990 to over 4.3 million in 2000. In 2003, Cherriots carried over 5 million riders.

In 2006, Salem-Keizer Transit needed an increase in the tax base to cover the increasing cost of operations. After tax levies were voted down in 2006 and 2008, it was necessary to eliminate Saturday service and redesign bus service in order to stay within budget. With extensive public input, Salem-Keizer Transit created a plan to address the community’s highest priorities - more options, faster times, and flexible schedules - within the current budget limitations. The Salem-Keizer Transit Board approved the new plan and it was implemented September 8, 2009.

Today’s seven-member Board provides the policy direction for a 66-bus transit operation serving more than 225,000 residents in the Salem and Keizer urban areas. Salem-Keizer Transit is developing a new strategic plan to maintain the services now offered by Cherriots and identify the resources for the continued improvement of public transit services in the future.

 

Cherriots Buses

All Cherriots buses are ADA accessible and have bike racks on the front that can accommodate up to two bicycles at a time. Cherriots maintenance staff cleans and maintains the buses on a regular basis to ensure the comfort and safety of riders and drivers.

The majority of the fleet is either Clean Diesel or Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), with only a few older diesel buses remaining. Salem-Keizer Transit is in the process of replacing the last of the older diesel buses with 12 new Clean Diesel Buses. Twelve will be arriving in 2011. Grants from the Federal Transit Administration pay for approximately 90% of new bus purchases.

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Transit Mall

Salem-Keizer Transit's downtown transit mall is the center for Cherriots bus service with 17 out of 24 routes beginning and ending at the transit mall. Other connections include 1X service to Wilsonville, 2X service to Grand Ronde, and CARTS which provide service to rural Marion and Polk County locations.

Due to the closure of Courthouse Square, the transit mall has been relocated to Cottage St. NE between State St. and Court St. NE. Customer Service is located across the street at 687 Court St. NE. Plans are being made to move the temporary transit mall to a more suitable location on Church St. NE between Union and Marion Streets. Customer Service will be relocated to the new site when completed.

The Cherriots bus system also has several major transfer points where multiple buses connect outside of the downtown area. These transfer points are the Glen Creek Transit Center in West Salem, Chemeketa Community College in Northeast Salem, and Keizer Station. Cherriots is currently working with the City of Keizer to build a Transit Center at Keizer Station.

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Administrative Offices

Salem-Keizer Transit’s administrative offices are located at 925 Commercial St. SE and 3140 Del Webb Dr. The General Manager, Finance, Transportation Development, Human Resource, and part of Operations departments are located at 925 Commercial. The Del Webb facility houses Operations including contracted services and maintenance. This is also where the buses are parked and maintained when not in service.

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Strategic Business Plan

Click here to access the Salem-Keizer Transit Strategic Business Plan, which establishes principles to guide future decision making on services and allocation of public transportation resources and develops an action plan that focuses on improving mobility for Salem and Keizer residents. (This is a large file and may take a while to download.)

Cherriots Subdistrict Boundaries

Cherriots is governed by a seven member Board of Directors. These Directors are elected by the residents of their Subdistrict.

For contact information for Board Members click here.

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Ordinances

Part of making everyone's visit a pleasant one is providing a clean, safe and comfortable environment in which to use the bus system. A "code of conduct," similar to rules and customs that guide civic behavior in other public places within our community, has been developed by the transit district. Its purpose is to describe the intended uses of our facilities, and inform the public of what types of activities and behaviors are not allowed in Cherriots facilities.

Unacceptable Conduct

For the safety of all of the public, State of Oregon Statutes prohibit certain types of conduct. The District ordinance is consistent with the State statutes. It is a violation of this Ordinance for any person to engage in conduct in violation of any of the following laws if such conduct occurs within or in any way affects any District Facility:

Initiating a false report
Giving false information
Assault in any degree
Menacing
Reckless endangering
Public indecency
Trespass
Disorderly conduct
Interfering with public transportation
Unlawful use of a weapon
Concealed weapon
Possession or delivery of controlled substances
Littering
Posting Notices
Damaging District Property
Possession of dangerous weapon in a public building

The ordinances are currently being updated to reflect our new transit mall location. For the complete Rules of Conduct and Ordinances, please click here: Cherriots Ordinances

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