About CAT

We Are CAT

Nice to Meet You!

The Columbia River Gorge is home. For us, it’s not just about the natural beauty, the closeness to Portland, or the amazing history. It’s about the people.

We’re committed to making your life better, in just a little way, because when you come first the entire community feels the difference.

The History of CAT

Hood River County Transportation District provides public transportation in Hood River County under the name of Columbia Area Transit (CAT). We are a transportation district organized under Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS) 267. Our major sources of funding include grants from the Federal Transit Administration, several different sources from the State of Oregon, local property tax, and user fees. The District was formed by a vote of Hood River County residents in 1992 and took effect July 1, 1993.

Our Board

Hood River County Transportation District Board Bylaws These approved bylaws outline the general principles under which we operate. (revised in September 2021)
We love to hear from our community! Feel free to contact us at the below email addresses:

Our Board Meetings

We meet on the third Wednesday of each month at 4 p.m. in public-accessible meetings in the CAT offices. Please check out the Events page to see when the Board Meetings are scheduled and for meeting information.

Download past meeting minutes:

Board Committees

Budget Committee
Statewide Transportation Improvement (STIF) Advisory Committee
Transit Master Plan Community Advisory Committee (CAT-CAC)

Affiliate Transit Services

We’ve teamed up with two other excellent public transit companies to fill in some of our service gaps. Please look to them to help you get to the places that are out of our reach.

Policies and Plans

We have a true motivation to improve our corner of the world because we care and live here too. Take a quick look at our policies and planning documents that are guiding our transit services in our district.

Policies

COVID-19 Safety Precautions and Policies: Cleaning and safety guidelines and policies to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

ADA Complementary Paratransit Plan (ADA Plan): The District’s ADA Plan outlines the services and associated policies that provide access to Hood River County residents who are unable to use regular bus service due to a disability.

Title VI and Limited English Proficiency: We are committed to ensuring that no person shall, on the ground of race, color, national origin, religion, age, marital status, sexual orientation, or disability be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity provided by the District. The Title VI & LEP Plans spell out our commitment to maintaining programs and services that are accessible to all.

Transit Master Plan: This identifies opportunities for transit service expansion and details a near-term plan for service development as well as a long-term vision for transit in Hood River County over the next 20 years.

Hood River County Coordinated Transportation Plan 2016-2019: This was prepared to meet state and federal requirements for agencies, like us, that receive Special Transportation Funding (STF). It focuses on the needs of four target populations residing in Hood River County: seniors, low-income individuals, individuals with disabilities, and Limited English Proficiency (LEP) individuals. The coordinated transportation plan is intended to define and prioritize general strategies that transit service providers can use to address the service needs, gaps, and barriers of these four groups.

Hood River to Government Camp Transit Feasibility and Implementation Study: This project focused on public transportation feasibility between Hood River and Government Camp. The project is part of a larger effort in the region to create a transit system that offers transit around Mount Hood. CAT is currently participating in the larger project, known as Vision Around the Mountain, which seeks to identify the resources, structure, and infrastructure needed to coordinate and facilitate the larger vision.

Hood River County Coordinated Transportation Plan Update 2020: The Hood River County Coordinated Transportation Plan Update 2020 focused on the transportation needs of seniors, low-income individuals, individuals with disabilities, and Limited English Proficiency individuals, and Hood River County residents in general. This document is an update to the 2016-2020 Hood River County Coordinated Transportation Plan and the information gathered will be integrated into any future Transportation Master Plan update. Updating the plan consisted of demographic data analysis, stakeholder engagement, current public transportation services inventory, and the creation of a prioritized list of Public Transportation needs and projects. The updated document was approved by the HRCTD Board of Directors on November 18th.

Hood River County Transportation District Transit Master Plan Update 2023: The Hood River County Transit Master Plan (TMP) update reviewed and updated current goals and priorities for transit in Hood River County. The plan identifies where limited resources can be invested to best meet local goals and build better partnerships between Hood River County Transportation District (HRCTD), other Gorge transit providers, ODOT and local partners to ensure transit priorities are delivered. Building from the success of the existing transit system, the TMP used a fully integrated approach to ensure that transit investments are supportive of the broader economic, environmental, and mobility goals.

Current Planning Efforts

Hood River County Coordinated Transportation Plan Update 2024: The Hood River County Coordinated Transportation Plan Update 20204 focuses on the transportation needs of seniors, low-income individuals, individuals with disabilities, and Limited English Proficiency individuals, and Hood River County residents in general. This document is an update to the Hood River County Coordinated Transportation Plan Update 2020.

 

CAT Public Records Request Form and Policy

Please use the attached form to request nonexempt public records that are in the custody of HRCTD. You can email a signed copy to the District at info@catransit.org (preferred method)
or mail the form to:

HRCTD
PO Box 1147
Hood River, OR 97031
ATTN: Public Records Officer.

General Transit Feed Specification

CAT provides transit data, including real-time feeds of our bus services, to promote transparency and encourage developer participation to create innovative apps that will help riders use our services efficiently. This data is provided by CAT and is available for everyone to use, explore, and share.

You can get the latest version at https://oregon-gtfs.com/ and select Columbia Area Transit.

By using this data, you agree that CAT, the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), nor its contractor (Trillium Solutions, Inc.), guarantee the accuracy of any data linked from this website. Any and all data is provided as-is.