Many other transit agencies also face difficult decisions, including in California, Washington and beyond
TriMet is facing a multi-pronged financial crisis brought on by rising costs and revenues that are not keeping up with those increases.
On average, TriMet’s costs for providing public transit increased about 56% between 2019 and 2025, on everything from materials to equipment to contract services. Prices continue to go up this year with fuel costs alone surging as much as 84% over weekly budgeted amounts in 2026, due to the Iran War.
We’re far from alone, however. Many other transit agencies across North America are also under pressure. Like TriMet, they are confronting the possibility of steep service cuts, widespread layoffs, and/or significant fare increases in the coming months and years.
California
Like TriMet in the Portland metro area, Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) is a vital service for many people living in San Francisco, San Jose and other Bay Area communities. And like TriMet, BART is feeling the pinch of decreased ridership.
Both the Portland metro area and the Bay Area have very high rates of remote work. That trend isn’t limited to private employers. Nearly half of all state employees in Oregon, and nearly 30% of Portland city employees, reportedly work remotely all or some of the time. Downtown vacancy rates remain high, both in Portland and San Francisco.
A huge share of transit ridership historically comes from people who ride to and from work. If people are working more from home, they’re riding transit less often. That trend has contributed to BART’s ongoing structural deficit of up to $400 million, just as it has contributed to the structural deficit that TriMet is working to address.
San Diego’s Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) is also facing a massive budget gap: more than $500 million over the next four years. Like TriMet, MTS is planning a combination of fare increases and service reductions to help close this deficit, while also dramatically reducing spending in other areas.
Washington
To the north, Sound Transit is an essential part of the transportation system in Seattle, Tacoma and other Puget Sound communities.
Sound Transit has been in a growth phase, just recently opening the Crosslake Connection to provide light rail across Lake Washington. However, the long-term picture for Sound Transit is daunting. The Sound Transit Board has acknowledged a $34.5 billion funding gap over the next 20 years, which threatens the agency’s ability to complete long-awaited transit projects.
Meanwhile, King County Metro is facing a significant budget shortfall by the early 2030s. Seattle’s temporary sales tax for transit will expire next year, unless voters renew it this fall. At the same time, King County is attempting to balance the needs of its roads and transit system.
While TriMet is an independent agency, we also see these competing needs in our region. Just as in Seattle and Washington state, it falls on policymakers in Portland and Oregon to figure out how to address them.
Oregon
TriMet is the largest transit system in Oregon, but other transit agencies in our state have also been squeezed by limited funding and rising costs.
The Rogue Valley Transportation District in Jackson County cut more than half its bus lines and laid off nearly half its staff last fall. Voters recently renewed a local option levy to continue funding transit, without which the district could have been forced to cut service further.
The Coos County Area Transportation District also cut some of its service last summer, and again this spring, due to funding issues. Those cuts have reduced regional connectivity between Coos County and cities like Florence and Roseburg.
In Salem, Cherriots considered a payroll tax increase last year, but the plan has not moved forward in the face of local opposition. Cherriots says a planned service expansion is tied to the payroll tax increase, as it can’t move forward without new revenue.
Elsewhere
Transit funding issues are not limited to the West Coast.
The Regional Transportation District (RTD) in Denver, which has a ridership and budget closely comparable to TriMet, is considering major service cuts, staffing reductions and additional restructuring to tackle a $215 million annual deficit. A fare increase is also on the table.
Like TriMet, RTD is struggling with the loss of revenue caused by ridership that remains well below pre-pandemic levels. Ballooning costs for parts, fuel and equipment are also a challenge for our respective agencies.
The Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) of Southern Nevada is proposing substantial fare increases, including a 50% hike for single-ride fares, to address a $118.5 million annual budget deficit.
RTC is also facing many of the same challenges as TriMet, including inflation, higher gas prices and ridership that hasn’t recovered to pre-pandemic levels. The agency also hasn’t raised fare in more than 15 years, contributing to its current deficit.
On the other side of the country, in Pennsylvania, transit systems like the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA) and Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) have staved off massive cuts for now with short-term emergency funding. The Governor of Pennsylvania last year broke a legislative deadlock by redirecting $220 million in capital funding to SEPTA and allowing PRT to use capital project funding to pay for operations. Both transit agencies had been preparing for major service cuts and layoffs, along with significant fare increases.
Just like TriMet’s use of budget reserves, redirecting capital funding toward operations is a stopgap measure. No long-term solution has been reached in Pennsylvania. Smaller transit agencies, like the Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority (LANTA), are already cutting service and raising fares.
Riders in neighboring Ohio are also bracing for cuts. The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) plans to reduce service by 3% starting in August. Those service cuts could have been four times larger, but like TriMet, GCRTA made budget reductions elsewhere — including a hiring freeze — and tapped reserves to help cushion the blow to riders.
Financial challenges for transit extend even outside the United States.
Just across the Canadian border, Metro Vancouver’s TransLink is on more stable footing after striking an agreement with regional mayors and the provincial government of British Columbia last year to avert massive cuts. While preserving service for the time being, the agreement includes fare and property tax increases. Even still, regional leaders acknowledge that in the long term, TransLink still faces a structural deficit, and without a more permanent solution, service reductions loom in 2028.
And, in Montreal, a growing backlog of deferred maintenance projects has become a crisis. STM says it needs well over $2 billion to repair dilapidated Montreal Metro stations and replace obsolete train cars, and that even the $1.2 billion that Quebec has budgeted for repairs is far from sufficient. Widespread maintenance issues have begun to impact service.
The situation in Montreal provides a cautionary tale that TriMet is intent on avoiding. Even as we reduce spending, we’re also focused on maintaining a state of good repair throughout our system. That includes replacing vehicles at the end of their useful service life, regularly inspecting and making repairs on our MAX system, and working with jurisdictional partners to keep bridges, rail crossings and other vital infrastructure in serviceable condition.