14 Facts About Cherriots

1.

Cherriots, officially the Salem Area Mass Transit District, is a public transit operator based in Salem, Oregon, United States.

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2.

Cherriots folded in August 1958 and declared bankruptcy in January 1959.

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3.

Cherriots buses served Keizer and Four Corners until service was suspended by the Salem City Council in July 1976; by October, the two areas established voter-approved contracts for a private operator to run bus services that connected to the Cherriots network.

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4.

The existing Cherriots system was saved from proposed cuts after the approval of a two-year levy by Salem residents in May 1978.

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5.

The current headquarters and operating base for Cherriots, located on Del Webb Avenue in Salem, was dedicated in April 1989 by Senator Mark Hatfield and Governor Neil Goldschmidt.

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6.

Cherriots maintained its level of service by using capital reserve funds to fund daily operations, while planning for potential cuts to service.

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7.

The state legislature passed a two-year rollback of the state's cap on matching funds from the transit payroll tax in 1993, allowing Cherriots to avoid service cuts while presenting a funding plan to voters.

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8.

Two attempts at establishing a larger funding base for Cherriots service were rejected by voters in 1993 and 1994, leading to the discontinuation of free services and increased fares.

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9.

In 2009, Cherriots routes underwent major changes due to funding limitations.

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10.

In 2015, Cherriots started a "Moving Forward" plan which made new routes, including consolidations to achieve frequent service.

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11.

In September 2019, thanks to HB 2017 funding, Cherriots restored Saturday bus service and added bus routes that operate later in the evening.

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12.

Cherriots operates 20 local bus routes in Salem and Keizer, as well as six routes under the Cherriots Regional brand serving outlying areas in Marion and Polk counties.

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13.

Cherriots added Sunday service as part of their rebranding on September 5th, 2021.

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14.

Cherriots maintains a fleet of 64 buses for its regular services, alongside 46 LIFT vehicles and 12 Regional buses.

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