LA GRANDE — The Northeast Oregon Public Transit will host a public meeting at 3 p.m. Friday, April 28, to introduce the new expanded routes that will soon be available to riders in La Grande and Island City.

The meeting will be conducted at the Northeast Oregon Public Transit hub building, 2204 E. Penn Ave., La Grande.

A ride-along in a bus over the expanded routes will precede the meeting. It will start at 1:45 p.m.

The new system will expand the area buses travel to in part by allowing bus drivers to deviate from the fixed route, for up to three-fourths of a mile, to pick up or deliver passengers.

Northeast Oregon Public Transit’s current fixed route takes riders through La Grande while making stops at Safeway, Max Square, Market Place Fresh Foods, Eastern Oregon University, Department of Human Services, Union County Public Transit Hub (next to the Union County Senior Center), Riveria Activity Center and other locations. The fixed route also goes into the western edge of Island City where it stops at Walmart. Two buses, each serving a different zone, pick up and deliver passengers along this fixed route six days a week.

The NEOPT expansion plan calls for the fixed route to be extended east into Island City for about half a mile, to D&B Supply at McAlister Road and Island Avenue, and then south for a quarter mile to Island City Elementary School.

To sign up for the April 28 ride-along or for additional information, call 541-963-2877.