The City of Hood River has THREE new partnerships with Columbia Area Transit (CAT). They promote transit with free GOrge Passes for downtown employees and low-income residents as well as support for summer weekend trolley service.
Downtown Employee Bus Pass Program
Downtown employees can receive a free 2021 GOrge Pass valued at $30. The pass may be used on CAT, Mt. Adams Transportation Service, The Link Public Transit and Skamania County Transit, all of which can be found at GorgeTransLink.com. This program is aimed at reducing traffic and parking congestion downtown and will save employees parking costs and hassles.
CAT operates its fixed route service weekdays from 7 am – 8 pm and weekends from 9:45 am – 7 pm, running at least every 45 minutes. Downtown employees can register for the program between July 1 and September 30 with passes valid through 2021. CAT buses have bicycle racks, wifi, security cameras and ramps for mobility devices. . To apply, ask your employer for an application or apply HERE. Downtown employers can get full information on passes HERE. A downtown map of eligible businesses is available. This pilot program will be evaluated this fall and may continue. For more info about the Gorge Pass, CAT or partner schedules, visit ridecatbus.org.
Low Income Pass Program
A free GOrge Pass program is now available for low-income city residents for unlimited rides on all of CAT’s fixed route transit services with support from the City of Hood River. The pass can also be used for Mt. Adams Transportation Service, Skamania County Transit and The Link Public Transit fixed routes, all of which can be found at GorgeTransLink.com.
Residents apply with CAT, meeting CAT’s guidelines for a free (or reduced-cost) GOrge Pass. The City of Hood River contributed $7,200 to support CAT’s low-income pass program for up to 240 eligible residents. To apply to this program, visit CAT at 224 Wasco Loop, Hood River. For questions, call CAT at 541-386-4202 or email at info@ridecatbus.org. More information about the Gorge Pass is available HERE.
Weekend Trolley
The City is supporting CAT’s weekend trolley service with a $25,000 contribution for purchase of a trolley to reduce traffic congestion during busy summer weekends. The City partially funded the CAT trolley service in 2018 and 2019 but was not available during the 2020 season due to the pandemic. For information on the trolley schedule and routes, visit ridecatbus.org/trolley/
View a map that displays of all of CAT’s services.
More info can be found on ridecatbus.org, and many questions can be answered at ridecatbus.org/how-to-ride/#questions.