99 Vine
99 Vine
The new 99 Vine bus service makes four trips in each direction every Monday – Friday between McMinnville and Eugene, with four stops in Benton County. Best of all – it’s free!
Benton County and Yamhill County have partnered to launch the pilot project providing bus service along the 99W corridor. The route follows Highway 99 with plenty of convenient stops (listed from north to south):
McMinnville
Amity
Rickreall
Monmouth
Adair Village
Corvallis downtown
Corvallis OSU
Monroe
Junction City
Eugene Airport
Eugene Amtrak Station
Eugene downtown
Eugene OU
Easy travel to the airport or train station isn’t the only reason to ride. The service runs between 6:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., making it ideal for commuting, running errands, attending medical appointments, visiting family and exploring new places.
The service is operated by Pacific Crest Bus Lines. Tickets are not required during the 6-month pilot period, thanks to grant funding. Riders can simply step on the bus at any of the stops.
FAQs
Does 99 Vine replace the 99 Express route?
No. 99 Express is limited to service between Corvallis, Lewisburg and Adair Village using Benton Area Transit vehicles. That service will continue to run on its established schedule during the 99 Vine pilot that uses Pacific Crest Bus Lines vehicles.
What happens after the 6 month pilot?
Local leaders will evaluate data from the pilot and determine potential changes when the grant expires. We’re hopeful that the route will garner support from agencies or communities to continue the service, but there is no long-term funding for this service.
Why was the program created?
Oregon Cascades West Council of Governments did a transit corridor study in 2020 and found that there was demand along the 99-West corridor. Participants in the study included ODOT Rail and Public Transit Division, Lane Transit District, Lane Council of Government, Benton Area Transit, Salem Area Mass Transit and Yamhill County, along with over a dozen community leaders in the region. Benton and Yamhill Counties agreed to partner on the pilot service. Between 2020 and now, there have been obvious challenges, including the pandemic and its far-reaching ripple effects on supply chain and staffing which resulted in the need to pivot to different service model options for the pilot.
How was it funded?
99 Vine is supported by the Oregon Cascades West Council of Governments, with funding from the Statewide Transportation Improvement Fund (STIF) discretionary program.
How were the stop locations chosen?
The route connects islands of service into a more robust, user-friendly system. The bureaucracy of intergovernmental collaboration may have been a challenge in the past, but we’ve been able to forge strong connections between the involved counties, creating a better system for residents.
1.7 million people traveled through the Eugene airport in 2023. With the 99 Vine service, those travelers now have the opportunity to connect to more rural parts of the Willamette Valley without need of a rental car or spendy ride share service. OSU and LBCC students and community members who don’t have cars can more easily get to an airport and train stations.