On Jan. 15, the Lane Transit District (LTD) formally opened its newly renovated bus station, marking a major improvement for the city’s public transportation system after a little over a year’s worth of preparation and excitement.
With a focus on creating connection and new accessibility features, LTD has brought a more modern and sustainable design to try and create a better experience for those commuting in and out of the bus station.
This $3.8 million project was focused on giving the Customer Service Center at the station a facelift. In addition to the Customer Service Center, LTD has added new signage to try to make it easier for people to find where they are supposed to go when they arrive at the station as well as new lighting.
In honor of these new developments, LTD hosted a grand reopening ceremony at the bus station where community members, volunteers and staff were all able to come together and celebrate the remodel. Guests were able to hear from Subdistrict 5 Board Director Pete Knox, CEO of LTD Jameson Auten and Eugene Mayor Kaarin Knudson to not only hear about the project, but to celebrate in what this new remodel is hoped to bring.
Public Information Officer for LTD Anni Katz said, “[the station] was getting a little old. We have a lot of sustainability goals as an agency, and the public has different needs than it did when it first opened in 1988, like, none of the customer service desks were at a level where a wheelchair could access them easily. So now two out of the four counters are now wheelchair accessible.”
At the reopening event, speakers emphasized that community is a top priority and that equitable transportation is an important part of the community. They believe that this new remodel represents opportunity and stability.
“I like it because it makes it more inclusive to the different communities and it makes it more inviting,” Eric Gutchess, Eugene community member, said at the event. “Especially for the disabled community (the new changes) makes it easier for them to come in and out.”
Katz added to this sentiment. “We are really the main provider of public transportation, that means that Eugene Station is a really vital community amenity because of the way our system is designed, all of the buses pass through here. If we have people using our system it has to be easy to use,” Katz said. “If we are wanting to meet our accessibility goals as well as building a place that’s cold in the summer and warm in the winter, we needed to update the stuff behind the scenes.”
The staff and speakers concluded by saying that this project is important for bettering the community and the environment. They want to make buses full and give the people of the community a viable option to leave their cars at home through a more modern and more accessible environment.
