Changes in Bus 70 schedule

Published 12:00 am Thursday, September 6, 2012

Mary Fetsch, spokesperson for TriMet, tells THE BEE that In September, TriMet will be eliminating all fare zones, including the “Free Rail Zone” — and is raising most fares. “This change means that a valid fare will be required to ride MAX Light Rail in Downtown Portland and the Lloyd District,” she says. “TriMet is also moving to a simpler fare system with one fare for each rider category, making the system easier to navigate.”

Some bus lines are going to see schedule adjustments. None are planned for Bus 19, but the other line running through Brooklyn, Eastmoreland, Sellwood, and Westmoreland — Bus 70 — will see some changes.

On weekdays, Mary reports, the first and last trips on Line 70 will occur about the same the same time as they have, but some trip times during the day are shifted by up to around 11 minutes.

Traveling northbound, she says, there is actually one more trip between 7 and 8 am than there has been, but there are two fewer trips between 6 and 8 pm. Between 8 am and 6 pm there are the same number of trips, “but most move earlier”.

Traveling southbound, the first and last trips also take place at about the same as before, but the schedule then gets progressively a few minutes later throughout the day, by up to about 11 minutes. Two trips will be eliminated between 6 pm and 8 pm.

On Saturdays, Bus 70 will add one more trip each way from the past schedule between 6 pm and 7 pm, “with 20 minute headways”. The rest of the day, most trip times differ less than five minutes from the previous schedule. After 7 pm, bus frequency remains about every 30 minutes, as it has been.

On Sundays, Bus 70 service actually increases: There will be eight additional trips each way, to provide 20-minute service throughout the day instead of the previous 30-minute service. “Since there are three trips every hour instead of two”, she adds, “Most of the trips times are different.”