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Commuting Options

Commute

DAS offers the smart commuter program to encourage employees to use alternative modes of transportation in their commute. The goal is to reduce traffic volume and parking demand, improve air quality, and reward the efforts of state employees who leave their cars at home. Click below for more details.

​​​To qualify, an employee must commute to work by public transit, rail, vanpool, commuter bus, bicycle or walk from home or from a park and ride lot more than half of their workdays each month. Permanent, temporary and contracted state employees may participate in the program.   
 
Employees who lease parking in a private or public lot or who are participants in a carpool or participate in a carpool with assigned parking in a city of Salem carpool area are not eligible for the smart commuter program.   
 
Program benefits:  
  • Occasional parking permits - Participants who work in the Salem capitol mall parking area or at the Portland state office building receive parking permits valid for two days each month. The permits allow all day parking in Salem at the capitol mall parking structure two-hour parking meters; unreserved spaces in the Green lot, Red lot, Yellow lot, and Ferry Street structure rooftop; and at the Portland state office building park-and-pay spaces. Smart commuter permit valid location maps
  • Emergency ride home: Any employees in Polk, Marion, or Yamhill counties who use a transportation option other than driving to work alone are eligible for this program. You can register at Drive Less Connect or contact Cherriots Trip Choice for more information. 
 
If you have questions, contact the parking office at state.parking@das.oregon.gov​ or 503-378-5090.

Cherriots bus schedules and route maps at Salem-Keizer Transit.
Additional commuting resources at Get There.


Transit Passes

State employees may purchase a monthly bus pass from their local transit district via pre-tax deduction from their paycheck. For more information, click on the city links below.

State employees may purchase a monthly bus pass from Salem-Keizer Transit by pre-tax deduction from their paycheck. To enroll, complete a transit pass application and send it to your agency payroll office. Your agency payroll office will send the bus pass to you each month.
 
You may also buy a monthly bus pass from Cherriots at one of the following locations: 
  • ​Cherriots downtown information office, 285 Church St. NE
  • Roth's Family Markets: Keizer, Lancaster, Sunnyslope, Vista, West Salem
  • Chemeketa Community College bookstore
  • The Keyhole, Lancaster Mall
 
Cherriots bus schedules and route maps at Salem-Keizer Transit.
Additional commuting resources at Get There.
 

To Salem from nearby communities 

Schedules: Cherriots Regional.
 

Portland to Salem 

SMART (South Metro Area Regional Transit) provides service from Portland to Salem. SMART goes as far north as the Barbur Blvd. Transit Center and connects directly with the Route 1X to Salem. View more information on the SMART website​.

State employees working in Portland can purchase a monthly Tri-Met or C-Tran bus pass by pre-tax deduction from their paycheck. View transit pass application​.
 
Bus schedule information for Tri-Met or C-Tran buses.
 
Several state agencies have agreements with Tri-Met for their employees. Agencies and contacts are listed below.

  • ​Environmental Quality: Nina DeConcini, 503-229-6271
  • Geology & Mineral Industries: Tove Larsen, suite 965, 971-673-1549
  • Human Services, Public Health Division, PSOB: Catherine Moyer, 971-673-1132
  • Employment: Annamarie Kelly, 503-947-1287
 

Salem to Portland 

SMART (South Metro Area Regional Transit) provides service from Portland to Salem. SMART goes as far north as the Barbur Blvd. Transit Center and connects directly with the Route 1X to Salem. View more information on the SMART website​.

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State employees working in Eugene can purchase a monthly Lane Transit bus pass by pre-tax deduction from their paycheck. View the transit pass application​.

More information at Lane Transit​.

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Additional Resources

​​​​Secure bicycle room locations: 
  • Salem - Capitol mall parking structure, Human Services building, north mall office building, Revenue building, and Agriculture building
  • Portland - Portland state office building 
 
Bicycle locker locations: 
  • Salem - Revenue building, Employment building, Ferry Street parking structure, north mall office building, 550 Capitol St. NE, and the Supreme Court building
Contact the parking office at 503-378-5090 or state.parking@das.oregon.gov for rental information.
 
Free bicycle racks are located at most state office buildings and parking lots in the capitol mall area. Salem capitol mall area bicycle parking location map​.
 
 
Cherriots buses have bicycle racks so you can bike and bus conveniently. See route information at Salem-Keizer Transit.
 
Additional commuting options available at Get There and ODOT Public Transit​.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

​​​​​Priority space assignments and monthly parking fee discounts are offered to carpool groups working within the qualifying boundaries in Salem or Portland.
 
  • ​To qualify in Salem: all participants must work within the city of Salem bounded by Market St. on the north, 17th St. on the east, Mission St. on the south, and the Willamette River on the west.
  • To qualify in Portland: all participants must work within the city of Portland bounded by Hoyt St. on the north, the Willamette River on the east, and I-405 on the south and west; or within the Lloyd District bounded by Broadway on the north, NE 16th on the east, I-84 on the south and Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. on the west.
 
All participants must be employees - not students - but do not have to all work for the state of Oregon; participants may be family members.
 
Complete the carpool certification form to register your carpool and receive the discount.
 
Carpool matching and other commuting resources at Get There
Vanpool information at Valley Vanpool.
Cherriots bus schedules and route maps at Salem-Keizer Transit.

​​Airport Rd
Park free in the park and ride lot at the intersection of Airport Rd. and Ryan Dr. and ride the bus to the capitol mall. A bus pass or payment of fare is required for this route. View the route 7 schedule and route map at Salem-Keizer Transit
 

Northeast
Park free in the park and ride lot at Market St. and Hawthorne and ride the bus to the capitol mall. A bus pass or payment of fare is required for this route. View the route 17 schedule and route map at Salem-Keizer Transit.

Additional commuting resources available at Get There.
​Carpool matching and other commuting resources are available at Get There





Connect with a parking specialist

Hours of Operation
8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday - Friday