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local entrepreneur wants
beachcombers to leave the driv
ing to his newly created Eugene
to-Florence busline—Oregon
Coastlines.
John McCaffrey. a local auto repairman and
Survival Center volunteer, plans to inaugurate
the first regular Eugene-to-Florence bus
service in five years on June 15
His new busline. Oregon Coastlines Inc., will
operate without the benefit of a government
subsidy or a big-business budget, he says
The bus service will hold its non-profit status
until they can get tax-exempt status If not. the
firm will switch to private-for-profit status,
McCaffrey says
By law, another non-profit organization
must manage any profits the corporation
earns as a non-profit firm, he says Senior
Services of Eugene is a likely candidate for
that job, McCaffrey adds
Oregon Coastlines' Thursday through
Sunday round-trip bus service also will pick up
passengers in Veneta, Noti, Walton. Mapleton
and Honeyman State Park and will offer coast
tours, a package delivery service and possibly
a statewide charter service
McCaffrey has lined up two Friday bus runs
and one run for other days. A round trip fare
will be $10, with a 20 percent discount for
senior citizens, he says Bicyclists can bring
their two-wheelers for an additional $1, he
adds
Coastlines' fleet consists of a custom
remodeled, 24-passenger school bus and one
or two yet-to-be-obtained max .-vans They will
shuttle sightseers up and down the central
coast during the three-and-a-half hour lay
over between tnps to and from Eugene
The $12 guided tours include admission to
the Sea Lion Caves and stops at the Hon
eyman Sate Park dunes. Devil's Elbow State
Park, Strawberry Hill and Cape Perpetua Sack
lunches will be sold
McCaffrey remodeled his big, yellow bus for
comfort, adding wood paneling cushioned
seats and a restroom He wired the bus for
sound with a new stereo system and installed a
new engine
Groups such as the University s Survival
Center and Fnends of the Oregon Coast, as
well as youth groups such as Looking Glass
and Big Brothers and Sisters, have already
chartered the bus tor trips
These charters for non-profit groups are the
main aspect of Coastlines non-profit status
The idea for Oregon Coastlines came during
a "kitchen table conversation in November
more than a year and a half ago, McCaffrey
says He was considering self-employment
opportunities, and talking with a friend (now a
silent partner in Coastlines) led to feasibility
studies of the service through surveys and
help of the Oregon Association of Railway
Passengers
Ed Bergeron LTD marketing administrator,
says the LTD board never established a
Eugene-to-Florence route because of a lack of
public support
Sonya Smith of the Public Utilities Commis
sion (PUC) says the Green Bus Line operated
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a Eugene-to-Florence service five or six
years ago" but stopped when subsidy money
ran out.
John O’Connell, of the charter bus service
O Connell Enterprises, also eyed the Eugene
to-Florence run. and when McCaffrey filed for
a PUC permit in March, 1981, O'Connell
protested called for a hearing and filed his
own application, McCaffrey says
McCaffrey says he managed to delay the
heanng, and meanwhile O'Connell halted his
plans for a Eugene-to-Florence run because a
two-year $26,000-a-year federal subsidy
would not be available
Considering the Reagan Administration's
subsidy cutbacks, McCaffrey says he didn t
count on government help and proceeded
with his plans, receiving a PUC permit in
January
Coastlines now has a number of "working
investors" with McCaffrey directing opera
tions
McCaffrey says his company won't operate
in the black until next year
But a depressed economy has not
depressed his hopes for success, he says
"I think it's in our favor "
He explained that people — especially
students — who can't afford cars will take
advantage of the busses low fares He also
noted lack of competition from other firms
"There s no one in the charter business who
can underprice us,” he says
Coastlines also will treat some of the
members of the two communities to free tours,
he says Groups, such as the Skipworth
Detention Center, Eugene Mission and nurs
ing homes, also will receive free rides
John McCaffrey's Oregon
Coastlines bus service offers
Thursday through Sunday
round-trips, with two runs on
Friday.
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