MEDFORD, Ore. — A new RVTD bus route between Medford and Ashland will begin operation on Monday, September 16th.
The 1X Express will be using I-5 and will be limiting stops to four key locations within Ashland: Ashland Community Hospital, Downtown Plaza, SOU and Shop’n Kart.
The trip typically takes a one-hour trip on Route 10. Route 1X will cut that time in half to 30 minutes.
“The current route that serves Medford, Phoenix, Talent, Ashland, sees somewhere around five to six thousand people a day,” Paige West, RVTD Planning and Strategic Programs Manager, said. “We suspect that about a third of our passengers on route 10 is traveling all the way from Medford to Ashland.”
“I really think that this is gonna be a good thing to happen,” said Alicia Rendall, a frequent bus rider on route 10.
“I think it will be very helpful because it will be a shorter bus time wait and all that and we’ll get there quicker and with a baby, it’s really helpful,” Jordin Garcia, Ashland resident, said.
Faster boarding is also a plus to the bus ride between Medford and Ashland by being ‘cashless’.
Only TouchPass e-fare products, such as the TouchPass fare card, QR code passes, or the TouchPass mobile app will be taken on the Express.
TouchPass cards are available at Front Street Station, City of Ashland, or on your smartphone using the TouchPass app.
The Route 1X will operate Monday through Friday, from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The new route is in addition to Route 10. Route 10 will continue to operate unchanged.
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