The Oregon Department of Transportation (Oregon DOT, ODOT) Public Transportation Division has issued a special call for projects to provide intercity bus service on Interstate 84 between Boise, Idaho, to The Dalles, Oregon. The service may be extended from Boise as far west as Portland.
ODOT will provide up to $600,000 in grant funding to support one year of this service, with the funds originating from state or federal transit allocations. The deadline for submitting grant applications is May 29, 2025.
To be considered eligible for this funding, the proposed projects must meet several minimum requirements. The eastern terminus of the route must be Boise, Idaho, and the western terminus must, at a minimum, be The Dalles, Oregon, though applicants have the option to extend the service as far west as Portland, Oregon. Within Oregon, the service must include mandatory stops in Ontario, Baker City, and La Grande, with an additional stop in Boardman, Stanfield, or Hermiston. Applicants are also permitted to include further stops along their proposed route. The awarded service must be operational for a minimum of one year and must run daily throughout the year, seven days a week, with at least one round trip per day. While applicants may propose not providing service on a limited number of low-travel holidays, consistent daily operation is expected. All vehicles used must have the capacity to transport passenger baggage, and the service provider must be legally eligible to transport passengers across state lines. Finally, General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) data for the service must be maintained and made publicly accessible.
A wide range of organizations are eligible to apply for this grant, including mass transit districts, transportation districts, federally recognized tribes, cities, counties, special districts, intergovernmental entities, other political subdivisions or municipal or public corporations that provide public transportation service, as well as nonprofit organizations and private for-profit entities offering public transportation services.
The grant application will be available on May 14, 2025. To provide further information and to answer questions, the Public Transportation Division will host a webinar on May 20, 2025. Additionally, a drop-in question and answer session will be held on May 27, 2025.