Rogue Valley transit board approves Saturday buses, later weekday service and Jacksonville route

Rogue Valley Transportation District’s board approved the return of Saturday buses, later weekday service and a route to Jacksonville, Oregon, after a September 23 public hearing. The revised weekday service is scheduled to start December 7, 2026, and Saturday buses on December 12, giving riders in the Medford area more travel options under a plan funded by a levy voters approved in May.

The district published route-by-route departure windows and frequencies in its September 24 announcement. Those windows vary substantially: some weekday routes are listed through 8 p.m., while the restored Jacksonville route ends much earlier. The announcement gives departure windows rather than a full timetable for each stop, and RVTD says an updated Ride Guide will follow.

Which RVTD routes gain later weekday service?

On weekdays, RVTD lists Route 4 departures from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., every 30 minutes. Route 10 is listed from 5 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., also every 30 minutes. Route 21 is listed from 6:30 a.m. to 7:10 p.m., every 40 minutes. These are the district’s stated departure windows, rather than a promise that every stop on a route has a departure at the final listed time.

Route 24 is listed from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. every 30 minutes. Routes 40 and 60 have the latest listed weekday windows, both ending at 8 p.m.; Route 40 starts at 6 a.m. and Route 60 at 5 a.m., with each listed at 30-minute frequency. The different end times matter for riders planning an evening journey across more than one route.

When Saturday buses return

Saturday service is scheduled to begin December 12, the first Saturday after the weekday changes take effect. RVTD lists seven routes for that day. Route 4 is shown from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every 60 minutes, while Route 10 runs from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. every 30 minutes. Route 21 is listed from 9:10 a.m. to 5:10 p.m. every 40 minutes.

The remaining Saturday windows also differ by route. Route 24 is listed from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. every 60 minutes; Route 40 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every 60 minutes; and Route 60 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. every 60 minutes. Route 30 is listed from 9:10 a.m. to 5:10 p.m. every 120 minutes, with five Saturday trips to Jacksonville.

Those published frequencies describe the planned service at route level. The varying windows mean that the return of Saturday buses does not create one common operating day for the whole network. Riders making connections will need to check the relevant routes when RVTD publishes its updated guide.

How Route 30 will reach Jacksonville

RVTD says Route 30 will travel along West Main Street instead of West Jackson Street in Jacksonville and turn around at Ray’s Food Place. The revised path begins with the weekday service on December 7. Its five Saturday trips are scheduled to begin on December 12, alongside the rest of the Saturday network.

A September 30 Medford Alert report also described the route change and the six-weekday, five-Saturday trip pattern. For now, RVTD’s Route 30 page is labeled ‘Suspended’ and does not supply a usable timetable in the available page text. The district’s service announcement is the source for the planned December windows and path.

Why riders asked for the expansion

The changes follow the May special levy, which RVTD says funds the additional service. The district says its plan also reflects passenger feedback. At the September 23 board meeting, members of the public spoke before the vote, bringing the effect of earlier service cuts into the discussion.

According to the district, more than 20 community members spoke in support of the additions. RVTD described speakers including students, older adults, people with disabilities and nonprofit representatives. It also reported seven written comments, verbal support from the cities of Medford and Ashland, and a letter from the Housing Authority of Jackson County.

In a recording transcript of the hearing, Medford resident James Richards, representing Maslow Project’s Youth Advisory Council, described how losing Saturday buses and later service had disrupted trips to work, childcare and medical appointments. His remarks explain why the proposed hours mattered to some riders; they do not measure what the new schedule will achieve once buses begin running.

The same hearing record attributes to speaker Jerica Lewis a personal account of spending about $250 a month on rides after finishing work at 8 p.m. That is her reported expense, not an estimate of costs faced by RVTD riders generally. The planned weekday windows also show that a bus finishing at 8 p.m. is available only on specified routes, not across the network.