If gas prices make you cringe, it might be time to let someone else do the driving.

The Baker City trolley, operated by Community Connection of Northeast Oregon, runs a fixed route around town from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday.

The trolley has nine official stops, but riders can flag the driver anywhere along the route.

“Just put your hand up and wave. The driver will pull over wherever it’s safest,” said Joe Hayes, county manager for Community Connection of Baker County.

The entire route covers Baker City from Grocery Outlet to the east, south to Colorado Street, west to 17th Street and north to Saint Alphonsus Medical Center.

The loop takes an hour. It begins and ends at Community Connection, 2810 Cedar St.

On the map, the first half hour is marked with a blue line. The second half hour is designated in green.

Maps are available at Community Connection, the Chamber of Commerce, and online at https://ccno.org/publictransit/baker-county-2/. Click on “Trolley Deviated Fixed Route.”

The fare is $1 every time you board, or you can buy a pass — $3 daily for unlimited rides, or $35 monthly.

Passes are available from the driver, or at the main office.

Community Connection of Northeast Oregon includes Baker, Union and Wallowa counties. Hayes said that the fixed route fare in Union and Wallowa counties is free, thanks to a grant.

In Baker County, the $1 fare — which raises $20,000 to $30,000 each year — supplies a local match when applying for grants, he said.

Children as young as 10 can ride the trolley without an adult.

Because the trolley is considered public transportation, masks are still required through at least April 18, per federal guidelines.

Dial-A-Ride

The trolley isn’t the only choice for public transportation in Baker County.

Dial-A-Ride can be requested for specific pick up and drop off — unlike the fixed route trolley that must follow a certain path and schedule.

Hayes said those who want to utilize Dial-A-Ride should call ahead at least four hours prior to pickup, although an entire day of notice is recommended.

Although the priority is given to medical appointments, Dial-A-Ride is available to the general public with an emphasis on service for seniors and people with disabilities.

Cost for Dial-A-Ride is $1 per direction.

For more information or to schedule a ride, call the office at 541-523-7433.

Baker to La Grande

Those who commute to La Grande for work or school could catch a ride on the connector bus, which leaves Baker City at 7 a.m.

It stops in Haines, then arrives in La Grande by 8 a.m.

“It drops them off at work,” Hayes said.

The bus returns to La Grande around 5 p.m. to bring riders home.

A monthly pass costs $110. Otherwise fares are $11 round trip or $7 one way.

Worried about being stuck in La Grande without a car?

There are two fixed trolley routes in La Grande, with free fare.

From outlying areas

On Wednesdays, a bus runs from Halfway to Baker City for residents who have shopping lists. Cost is $7.

On Fridays, a bus brings Sumpter residents to Baker City. Cost is $5.

Baker City to Ontario

On Thursdays, a shopping bus heads to Ontario. Riders can request multiple places to stop.

“We’ll take you anywhere you want to go,” Hayes said.

Cost is $5 because this trip is subsidized by a grant, he said.

Please call ahead to reserve a ride — the amount of passengers dictates which vehicle they use, Hayes said.

“If nobody rides, we don’t go,” he said.

Baker City’s licensed taxi service, Elkhorn Taxi, has made a change to reduce the financial burden of the recent spike in gas prices. 

 “We’ve been running a smaller (vehicle), a Hyundai Elantra, and that has helped a lot because it gets about 26 miles a gallon around town,” Elkhorn Taxi employee Wes Phegley said. “We haven’t been using our van. But yeah, we’ve definitely been feeling it. We’re trying to mitigate it by using a more fuel-efficient car.”

 Phegley said the volume of calls has been pretty steady through the winter.

 “We’re hoping we can maintain our prices and stuff and not have to raise our prices but we’re definitely keeping an eye on it,” Phegley said.

If the company sought to increase its prices it would need to make that request to the City Council, which has the authority to set rates under a city ordinance.

— Samantha O’Conner