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Bus can be hailed by phone After the last Rogue Valley Transportation District bond issue failed, they cut service in many areas -- the Delta Waters/Hawaiian route in Medford, for one. These past few weeks on my morning walks, I have seen the RVTD bus coming up Hawaiian or down Roberts Road. This morning I saw it about 9:15 a.m. coming up Hawaiian, but it turned right on Rosewood Street! What routes has RVTD returned to service, and how did that happen? -- Janet D., Medford It never hurts to ask, Janet. And sometimes, it helps. That's the moral of the story for bus riders in the Delta Waters/Hawaiian area, who lost service when the transportation district cut routes this year. While the route remains dark, the district has worked out a deal that restores service to the area when riders call ahead. Buses already traveling between downtown Medford and White City simply take in the extra loop made up by Cedar Links Road, Hawaiian Avenue, Delta Waters Road and Springbrook Road. "This was something that was going to be cut along with the others," said Maria Rizzo, transportation supervisor, "but we discovered with our timing we were able to include this at least on a part-time basis." The same is true along a route between downtown Medford and Rogue Valley Mall. When riders call ahead and ask, the route is extended to Medford's airport. The regular airport route was among those cut. Rizzo said RVTD needs only about a half hour's notice for riders who want the special treatment on either route. The number to call is 779-2877. What that number won't get you is service either to Roberts Road or Rosewood Street. RVTD doesn't carry riders along either of those roads, Janet. Rizzo came up with two possible explanations for what you saw: The district sometimes leases buses to others for special trips, or maintenance crews could have been testing buses in the area. (Send your questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; or by fax to (541) 776-4376; or by e-mail to: [email protected] Please include your name, address and phone number for verification.) Today's News Index Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA