After 19 years leading the Salem Area Mass Transit District, General Manager Allan Pollock has announced his intent to retire this summer.

“It’s time,” Pollock said. “I’m ready to move on to the next chapter.”

Pollock’s retirement will be effective in July, the transit agency said in a statement. The agency will begin recruiting a new general manager in the coming weeks, and Pollock plans to stay on through July to help ease the leadership transition.

The agency, better known as Cherriots, operates buses in Marion and Polk counties, providing over 3 million rides in 2024. It’s overseen by a governor-appointed board.

Pollock took the position in 2007, after previously working in transit agencies in Southern California, getting his start with the Orange County Transportation Authority. He started working at Montebello Bus Lines in 1996, most recently as the director of transportation, before coming to Salem.

Pollock said that 20 years ago, he saw Salem’s potential for growth. He said the district had recently cut services and needed to stabilize before moving forward.

“It was, at that time, going through a tough time. Especially downtown. But everyone was welcoming,” he said.

Early on he faced decisions about balancing the budget, evaluating what services they could afford and seeking new revenue options. In 2008, Cherriots reduced services, including eliminating Saturday bus service. Pollock made a commitment that the agency wouldn’t reduce services again for at least five years. Since then, they’ve only expanded.

Pollock said he’s proudest of the 2019 reinstatement of the Saturday bus service, and in 2021 adding service on Sundays which was unprecedented. He said that was thanks to House Bill 2017, which invested billions into transportation systems across the state.

“I worked hand-in-hand with a lot of other people to secure that funding source,” he said.

The district’s statement also credited him with successfully rebranding the agency and investing in sustainable, zero-emission transit solutions.

Pollock said he’s also proud of navigating the agency through tough times, including the four-year closure of the downtown Salem transit center, which began in 2010 due to structural issues, and the Covid pandemic.

Pollock said the biggest challenge that lies ahead for his successor is finding ways to make transit accessible to everyone.

“We don’t know what lies ahead, with federal funding and state funding, so ensuring that we can meet the levels of service with the revenue that we do have,” he said. 

This month, a task force of business leaders and Cherriots board members will begin meeting to make recommendations about addressing the community’s transit needs, after the agency opted to table a plan to impose a tax increase.

Pollock said he’s planning to stay in Salem for the time being, and is still figuring out how he’ll spend his retirement.

Pollock said that the last two decades of leading Cherriots have taught him about the importance of access to transit, which he hopes his successor will carry on.

“A successful community is a community that’s available to everyone,” he said.

Contact reporter Abbey McDonald: [email protected] or 503-575-1251.

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Abbey McDonald

Abbey McDonald joined the Salem Reporter in 2022. She previously worked as the business reporter at The Astorian, where she covered labor issues, health care and social services. A University of Oregon grad, she has also reported for the Malheur Enterprise, The News-Review and Willamette Week.