Ian Davidson

90,000 people in Marion and Polk County depend on SNAP. In two days, because of failures at the highest level of our federal government, our neighbors, our family members, and our friends, will not receive their November SNAP food assistance. Of those 90,000, almost 30,000 are children, about 9,000 are seniors and about 17,000 are disabled.

Individuals and organizations are helping where they can, including Cherriots, the public transit provider for the region. Beginning November 1, 2025, riders traveling to and from food banks and food pantries may ride at no cost; just tell the driver where you are going when you board the bus and your ride is free.

Our mission is "creating community connections." Sometimes that means connecting you from Point A to Point B, and sometimes it means connecting you to the resources you need at no cost to you because it’s what’s needed.

It's always very gratifying to see the incredible work of recognized, especially when bench marked among some of the best transit agencies in the United States.

This time, Cherriots took home gold, silver, and bronze medals from the latest TransDash Performance Summit Awards, an awards ceremony that transit agencies from across the country participate in:

1st Place 🥇
• Ridership Change from 2021 to 2024
• Cost per Customer Trip Change from 2021 to 2023 - 1st
• Job Access by Transit in Jan-Mar 2025

2nd Place 🥈
• Customer Net Promoter Score in 2024

3rd Place 🥉
• Ridership Change from 2023 to 2024
• Personal Value in 2024
• Overall Customer Satisfaction Change from 2023 to 2024
• Population Near Transit in Jan-Mar 2025

Please join me in congratulating all the Cherriots staff whose efforts contributed to winning this national recognition!

Which improvements are most important for public transit in Salem and Keizer? wants to know if you’d favor expanded services and routes. How about service enhancements, such as reservable rides or bikes? Or maybe more frequent bus service downtown? Take the survey at https://bit.ly/3Za1jkw