Oregon Taxis and Car Rental
Portland’s public transportation network is a thing of beauty, so visitors who don’t plan to leave Oregon’s largest city probably don’t need a rental car. But that would be a shame because Mount Hood is just an hour away and Cannon Beach just 90 minutes to the southwest. A rental car is the only real way to experience the natural beauty of Oregon, from its coast and valleys to the Cascades and eastern desert. Driving around the state is easy thanks to excellent interstate highways and painfully scenic rural roads. Interstate 5 runs right up the western side of the state, while the beautiful Route 101 hugs the coast.
Taxis are great to hop around in Portland if you don’t want to bike, walk, or use the TriMet system of trams, trains, and buses. They all run on meters and are available 24 hours a day. It’s unlikely you will be able to flag a taxi on the streets of Portland, though they can often be founding waiting in front of major downtown hotels and transportation centers. It’s best to keep a couple of phone numbers handy for a quick convenient pick up. Portland Taxi Cab Company (+1-800-707-5242) is one of the best, while Oregon Taxi (+1-541-484-0920) works in Eugene.
Oregon Trains and Buses
One of the most memorable ways to reach Oregon is by train. Amtrak’s Coast Starlight line runs right up the Pacific Coast from San Diego, California to Seattle, Washington. The train runs daily, stopping at several towns along the Oregon western region as well as downtown Portland’s Union Station. The train is very comfortable, though fares are no cheaper than a regional flight. Amtrak’s other major line, the Empire Builder, runs east from Portland through Minneapolis and on to Chicago. It’s also a wonderful journey.
Greyhound buses are even more flexible than the train, stopping at all of Oregon’s larger towns. These buses connect with a vast nationwide web of travel routes, though any trip longer than a few hours will be tedious and uncomfortable. But you can’t beat the cheap fares on Greyhound.