For the first time in the community's history, residents of Simnasho — a remote community on the Warm Springs Reservation about 25 miles from the nearest town — have access to regular public bus service. Cascades East Transit's new Route 21 launched May 5, and it is free to ride for the entire month of May.

The route makes a roughly 50-mile loop from Madras to Warm Springs, then to Kah-Nee-Ta Hot Springs Resort and on to Simnasho before returning. It runs Tuesday through Friday, three times a day in one direction, and is funded by a $200,000 state Innovative Mobility Grant.

Decades in the Making

For Delson Suppah Sr., an elder and lifelong Simnasho resident, the day the first bus rolled through felt long overdue.

"It's definitely an uplifting internal feeling for me to see this day come to pass and I'm thankful for it," Suppah Sr. said, speaking outside 3 Warriors Market — one of the new bus stops — at the intersection of two highways in Simnasho.

He recalled watching elders walk for miles when he was young, heading to Madras, The Dalles, or Warm Springs with no other option. "A lot of our elders, when I was younger, I watched them walk. I mean, if they had to get to some place... they would just start walking," he said.

Connecting People to Jobs and Healthcare

The route serves Kah-Nee-Ta Hot Springs Resort, the tribe's flagship property that reopened in 2024 and now employs more than 100 people during high season. Lonny Macy, a planner and member of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, called the route "significant and important because Kah-Nee-Ta provides jobs."

The route also links Simnasho residents to the IHS Health and Wellness Center in Warm Springs and to St. Charles Madras — the community's nearest hospital — at the end of the line.

People living in Warm Springs are four times more likely than Madras residents to have no access to a vehicle, according to U.S. Census data. The estimated median income on the reservation is less than $36,000, making rising gas prices a real burden for those who do own cars.

How It Works

Route 21 is a "flex route," meaning riders can call Cascades East Transit the day before to schedule a pickup anywhere along the route — not just at designated stops. Driver Chris Ulibarri said if people wave down the bus anywhere along the road, drivers will stop.

  • Cost: $2 per ride (free through May 31)
  • Days: Tuesday through Friday
  • Stops: Madras, Warm Springs, Kah-Nee-Ta, Simnasho
  • Flex pickups: Call Cascades East Transit the day before

If the pilot succeeds, Cascades East Transit director Bob Townsend said the agency would seek additional funding to continue the service. "Connecting residents to medical needs from Simnasho to The Dalles or Simnasho to Central Oregon has been a top priority for the tribe," Townsend said.