Honoring active and former military members with our Honored Citizen reduced fare
TriMet salutes our veterans this Veterans Day and reminds all past and present members of the armed forces that they qualify to ride TriMet with our Honored Citizen reduced fare. With half-price daily fare and unlimited rides for just $28 a month, it’s a small but lasting salute to their courage and sacrifice.
Further honoring those who have served our country, TriMet rolled out a special bus design in today’s annual Portland Veterans Day Parade, with TriMet employees who have served proudly joining as well. The bus design was created by TriMet Graphic Designer and Navy veteran Preston Covey.
Honoring our armed forces and veterans
One year ago, TriMet granted eligibility for our Honored Citizen reduced fare to active-duty, reservists and former members of the U.S. Armed Forces. With that, TriMet became the first large transit agency in the United States to offer reduced fare to both active-duty military and veterans. This policy recognizes the tremendous contributions and sacrifices made by those who serve our country in uniform.
Among other groups that qualify for TriMet’s reduced fare:
Adults age 65 and older.
People with disabilities.
People on Medicare.
People on Oregon Health Plan, SNAP or TANF.
People who qualify based on income.
Frequent riders can save up to 72% with Honored Citizen fare!
While the number of signups continues to grow, there are still tens of thousands of people living in our service area who are eligible — but may not realize they qualify — for reduced fare on TriMet.
We encourage more people who qualify to apply for Honored Citizen fare! This fare program is part of our commitment to equity, breaking down barriers to ridership and creating a welcoming, accessible transit system. Learn more at trimet.org/equity.
How it works
Visit trimet.org/reduced to find out if you’re eligible for reduced fare on TriMet. We have a simple online application process. In-person applicants are also accepted at various locations.
If you qualify for Honored Citizen reduced fare, we’ll issue you a personalized Hop Fastpass® card with your photo on it. Tap this fare card at the green Hop card reader whenever you ride. You can load money onto your card with several easy options — including online and on the Hop app, as well as in person at retail outlets that partner with TriMet or at the TriMet Customer Support Center in Pioneer Courthouse Square. Visit myhopcard.com/getacard to find the location nearest you!
Holders of an Honored Citizen fare card pay half the regular cost of an Adult 2½ Hour Fare or Day Pass. They also pay no more than $28 per calendar month on fare, earning a Month Pass after paying for the equivalent of 10 Honored Citizen Day Passes.
Because Honored Citizen fare is integrated with Hop Fastpass®, users can also ride C-TRAN and Portland Streetcar with their Honored Citizen fare card.
Increased bonus for many union maintenance positions and training opportunities aims to bolster TriMet’s ability to provide reliable transit service
***UPDATE (June 2025): Hiring bonuses for new operators have now closed.***
At TriMet, we are dedicated to providing safe and reliable transit service. The backbone to that is our amazing Maintenance team. To increase its ranks, we are increasing our hiring bonus for select maintenance positions to $7,500, up from $2,500. Eligible maintenance jobs include mechanic, technician and maintainer positions, along with apprentices and trainees for those positions.
The increased hiring bonus comes as pay increases go into effect for all TriMet union positions Dec. 1, 2024, as part of our new Working and Wage Agreement with the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 757. In addition to medical, dental, vision, disability and life insurance plans at low or no monthly cost, the new four-year contract brings new benefits and opportunities:
Increased employer contribution to union employees’ 401(a) retirement plans.
Tuition reimbursement of up to $5,250
Child care subsidy of up to $150 per month
TriMet also supports employees by offering pathways for career advancement. In-person and virtual learning classes are offered throughout the year, free of charge, to all employees. Mentoring opportunities are available for many employees. Certain jobs, like transportation supervisor, are 100% filled through internal promotions.
Building our workforce to keep region moving
Earning a $7,500 bonus is a fantastic way to start a career at TriMet. We continue to offer it to both bus and MAX operators. As we bring more operators on board, we must increase our staffing at maintenance positions that support bus, MAX, WES and Portland Streetcar operations too.
TriMet is committed to providing a transit system that meets the needs of our regions, both now and in the future. That’s why we are investing in a skilled workforce that supports bus and rail service throughout our service area. We plan to add more service in the coming months and years, even after extending the MAX Red Line and creating new bus lines in August — one of the biggest service expansions in TriMet’s history.
With well over 3,500 employees, TriMet isn’t just one of Oregon’s best-rated employers — we’re one of Oregon’s largest employers, too.
TriMet provides transit service throughout a 533-square-mile area, which includes parts of Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties. That service includes bus lines, five MAX light rail lines, the WES commuter rail line and LIFT paratransit service. We also provide employees and training for the Portland Streetcar, which is owned by the City of Portland and operated separately from TriMet.
Buses and trains don’t run by themselves! We count on our more than 2,800 union workers not only to operate our vehicles, but also to maintain them and keep our system ship-shape.
From bus mechanics to rail technicians and beyond, many of the jobs that keep TriMet and our community moving now offer a $7,500 hiring bonus. You can see a full list of open positions at trimet.org/careers.
Como parte de los esfuerzos de TriMet para hacer que nuestros servicios estén disponibles para más personas, hemos realizado una importante actualización en nuestro sitio web, trimet.org. Ahora, las personas que hablan español, vietnamita, chino simplificado, ruso o coreano como su idioma materno pueden ver la aplicación web de nuestra página de inicio y las páginas de contenido de las rutas en su idioma materno. Estos son los primeros idiomas añadidos, además del inglés, y son los más hablados en nuestra comunidad. Esperamos añadir más idiomas en el futuro.
La ampliación de idiomas refleja la diversidad de nuestra comunidad y el compromiso de TriMet con la igualdad y la inclusión. Ahora, más usuarios pueden planificar viajes, conocer el recorrido de autobuses y trenes, aprender a viajar y mucho más. Al reducir las barreras lingüísticas, más personas pueden acceder a la información sobre nuestros servicios y recursos, lo que les facilita llegar a donde necesitan ir utilizando TriMet.
Un transporte más inclusivo
El idioma no debe ser una barrera para acceder a los servicios de TriMet. Nuestro sitio web actualizado ayuda a responder a las diversas necesidades de nuestra comunidad.
” Nosotros damos la bienvenida a todo el mundo en TriMet, ” dijo el Gerente General de TriMet Sam Desue Jr. “Ofrecer información en otros idiomas da a la gente más independencia y hace que sea más fácil aprender sobre TriMet, acceder a nuestros servicios y conectarse a puestos de trabajo, educación y otras oportunidades en toda el área metropolitana de Portland.”
Cómo acceder a la nueva función de selección de idiomas
Utilizar nuestro sitio web con la nueva función de idiomas traducidos es muy fácil. Visite trimet.org para ver un menú de navegación totalmente actualizado, con la notable colocación de un botón “Language” o “Idioma” en la parte superior derecha de la barra de navegación:
trimet.org en inglés……y en español.
Sólo tiene que hacer clic en el botón “Language” o “Idioma” y obtendrá una lista de los idiomas disponibles. A continuación, seleccione su idioma preferido. La aplicación de nuestra página de inicio cambia todo el contenido a tu idioma preferido, lo que facilita la planificación de un viaje, la consulta de rutas y el seguimiento de tu viaje. También podrás navegar a otra información que te ayudará a moverte:
Cómo viajar en autobús, MAX y WES.
Cómo comprar la tarifa.
Mapas y horarios.
Los programas para tarifas reducidas.
Información y elegibilidad para el programa LIFT.
Viajar en bicicleta y mucho más.
Otras mejoras
Además de la nueva función de selección de idioma, trimet.org presenta otras ventajas para el usuario, que facilitan el uso de lectores de pantalla, control por voz y navegación con teclado. También hemos colocado los botones “Seguridad” y “Alertas” en un lugar más visible, junto al botón “Idioma”, en la parte superior derecha de la página de inicio. Tenemos planeado añadir más funciones en el futuro para adaptarnos a las necesidades de nuestros usuarios.
¿Listo para intentarlo? Visite trimet.org para planificar su próximo viaje, consultar horarios y mucho más.
As part of TriMet’s efforts to make our services available to more people, we have made a major improvement to our website, trimet.org. Now people whose first language is Spanish, Vietnamese, Simplified Chinese, Russian or Korean can view the web app on our homepage and rider content pages in their native language. These are the first languages added in addition to English and are the most commonly spoken languages in our community. We hope to add additional languages in the future.
The expansion of languages reflects the diversity of our community and TriMet’s commitment to equity and inclusion. Now, more riders can plan trips, track buses and trains, learn how to ride and more. By reducing language barriers, more people can access information on our services and resources, making it easier for them to get where they need to go using TriMet.
Making transit more inclusive
Language should not be a barrier to accessing TriMet services. Our upgraded website helps accommodate the diverse needs of our community.
“We welcome everybody on TriMet,” said TriMet General Manager Sam Desue Jr. “Offering information in other languages gives people more independence and makes it easier to learn about TriMet, access our services and connect to jobs, education and other opportunities throughout the greater Portland metro area.”
How to access the new language selector feature
Using our website with the new translated language function is easy. Visit trimet.org to see a fully updated navigation menu, with prominent placement of a “Language” button in the top right of the navigation bar:
trimet.org in English……and in Spanish.
Just click on the “Language” button and you’ll get a list of the languages available. Then, select your preferred language. The app on our homepage switches all content to your preferred language, making it easier to plan a trip, check out routes and track your ride. You’ll also be able to navigate to other information to help you get moving:
How to ride bus, MAX and WES.
How to purchase fare.
Maps and schedules.
Access Transit programs for reduced fares.
LIFT information and eligibility.
Riding with bicycles and much more.
Other improvements
In addition to the new language selection feature, trimet.org features other user improvements, making it easier for people using screen readers, voice control and keyboard navigation. We also placed the “Security” and “Alerts” buttons in a more prominent spot–next to the “Language” button on the top-right side of the homepage. We plan to add more features in the future to accommodate our riders’ needs.
Ready to try it out? Visit trimet.org to plan your next trip, check schedules and more.
Join the agency that keeps the greater Portland metro region moving!
***UPDATE (June 2025): Hiring bonuses for new operators have now closed.***
Take it from our employees: TriMet is one of the best places to work in Oregon!
Forbes Magazine recently ranked TriMet as one of the top five places to work in Oregon. In that listing, TriMet is the number one Oregon-based employer in the state, as well as the top “Transportation and Logistics” employer in the state. The Forbes listing of the America’s Best-In-State Employers for 2024 comes from a survey of employees in each state.
“This honor reflects TriMet’s dedication to our employees and our community,” said TriMet General Manager Sam Desue Jr. “Our employees are the heart and soul of TriMet. We could not provide the transit service so many people rely on without their hard work and determination. And, as we work to support our employees in all aspects of their work, we know they in turn help connect our riders to opportunities throughout our region.”
TriMet employs more than 3,500 people. Our diverse workforce reflects the community and people we serve. We’re continuing to hire and add to our growing team, which includes bus and rail operators, mechanics, safety and security personnel, maintenance service workers, dispatchers, planners and schedulers, and more.
TriMet keeps our region on the move
TriMet has been serving the Portland metro region since 1969. That’s nearly 55 years of getting people where they need to go!
We operate bus, MAX light rail, WES commuter rail and LIFT paratransit service across TriMet’s 533-square-mile service area, which includes parts of Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties.
TriMet plays a central role in the daily life, transportation and economy of our region. In September 2024, we provided about 1.3 million rides a week. The Portland metro area enjoys the 13th-largest transit ridership in the country, even though it is only the 23rd-largest metro area in the country.
Many of our riders rely on TriMet to get to work, school, health care and other services. Others choose TriMet because it’s an accessible, affordable and sustainable way to travel throughout the Portland metro region. And, our employees come to TriMet for rewarding work, financial stability and opportunities for growth.
Why employees rank TriMet as the best Oregon-based employer: Wages & benefits
TriMet’s top Forbes rating comes from a survey of employees, and it reflects why TriMet is a great place to work. Whether it’s stepping into a great family-wage job, providing a public service to the community, exploring opportunities for advancement, charting a new career path, improving job skills, continuing education or saving for retirement, you can do it at TriMet. We offer benefits and programs to meet our employees’ needs and help turn their dreams into reality.
We offer competitive salaries and have excellent benefits that can save employees tens or hundreds of dollars every month over most private employers. Among the benefits:
Medical, dental, vision, disability and life insurance plans at low or no monthly cost
Optional health care coverage for spouses, domestic partners and dependents
Health and dependent care spending accounts
Two retirement plans, including a 401(a) plan with employer contribution of up to 8-10%
Paid vacation and sick leave
Annual transit pass (valued up to $1,200) for employee and eligible family members
More than 2,800 TriMet employees are represented by the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 757, a valued partner to TriMet. Working together, TriMet and the union recently negotiated a four-year contract that expands benefits and gives union workers a 13.64% pay increase. This new Working and Wage Agreement takes effect Dec. 1, 2024. The agreement isn’t just good for TriMet employees — it also supports the work we’re doing to make our transit system cleaner and more reliable, so riders will benefit as well.
Why employees rank TriMet as the best Oregon-based employer: Supportive & welcoming work environment
TriMet’s commitment to our employees stretches from support across many avenues to development that extends far beyond traditional training.
TriMet employees have access to financial coaching, estate planning, counseling and more through TriMet’s Employee Assistance Program. This program provides individualized and confidential support that is available to every TriMet employee. Also, peer-to-peer support is available to employees through our Critical Incident Stress Management Team. Team members undergo intensive training on mental health and coping resources to help coworkers through stressful or traumatic incidents, supporting our employees’ well-being.
Employees can take advantage of another TriMet benefit to stay physically fit. For a low monthly fee, we offer 24-hour access to five fitness centers for TriMet employees and their families. These fitness centers are conveniently located at facilities where many of our employees work, so they can hit the gym or even take an exercise class before or after their shift.
TriMet also offers learning and leadership courses that are open to all employees. Our Engage, Empower and Expand (E3) Learning Program is designed to help employees thrive by offering a wide range of classes, with topics such as project management, effective communication and creating inclusive environments. We partner with Portland Community College to bring in industry-leading instructors, giving employees access to high-quality, college-level learning experiences — at no cost to employees. On average, we see about 1,500 enrollments per year.
Diversity, equity and inclusion are core values at TriMet. We welcome and support employees of all backgrounds. Any employee can choose to participate in one or more of TriMet’s Employee Resource Groups. We have nine of these resource groups, and counting — each a community of employees with shared life experiences, offering them an inclusive space to socialize, reflect, innovate and grow.
Why employees rank TriMet as the best Oregon-based employer: Room for advancement & longevity
Our employees have opportunities to advance in their careers at TriMet. We promote from within for many management positions. Certain jobs — like our transportation supervisors, who help keep our system running every day — are only open to internal applicants.
We’re expanding mentorship opportunities for employees, helping them improve their job skills and develop new ones. We pair up employees as mentors and mentees for nine months, fostering meaningful professional relationships and sharing knowledge across TriMet.
We have dozens of employees who have been with TriMet for decades. More than 70 current employees have at least 30 years of service at TriMet. We recognize long-tenured employees with service awards, celebrating their many years of helping move our region forward. Just this past summer, one of our dedicated bus operators received an award for 40 years of service, a remarkable milestone — although still not the longest tenure for an active employee!
For some of our employees, TriMet is a family affair. Fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, husbands and wives have all worked alongside each other at TriMet, Forbes’ top Oregon-based employer. In one family, three generations of women have taken the wheel for TriMet over the decades, serving our region through times of growth and change.
TriMet is hiring and offering bonuses for some positions
Learn what our employees know! Join Team TriMet. We’re hiring bus and MAX operators, maintenance service workers, mechanics and technicians, and others. New hires at certain positions are eligible for hiring bonuses, including a $7,500 bonus for new operators and a $2,500 for select maintenance positions! Check out our complete list of open positions at trimet.org/careers.
About Forbes’ list of America’s Best-In-State Employers
TriMet is honored to be recognized on the Forbes list of America’s Best-In-State Employers for 2024. According to Forbes and its partner Statista Inc., the list is based on “an independent survey from a vast sample of over 160,000 employees working for companies employing at least 500 people within the U.S. The ranking is open to companies from all industry sectors. Around 4.4 million employer evaluations were considered. The consideration of data from 3 years allowed a robust differentiation between organizations that consistently perform well from those that may only have had a single good year.”
According to Statista Inc., an employer’s final score is based upon two types of employee evaluations:
1. Personal Evaluations: Employees’ willingness to recommend their own employers to friends and family
2. Public Evaluations: Recommendations from friends and family members of employees, or members of the public who work in the same industry- also known as indirect evaluations
About Statista Inc.
From Statista: “Statista publishes hundreds of worldwide industry rankings and company listings with high-profile media partners. This research and analysis service is based on the success of statista.com, the leading data and business intelligence portal that provides statistics, relevant business data, and various market and consumer studies and surveys.”
Brand-new bus stop at the heart of Mt. Hood Community College’s campus helps connect students with home, work and other destinations
Students returning to Mt. Hood Community College for the fall term are finding something new on campus: a TriMet bus stop.
Mt. Hood Community College is the new endpoint for Line 25-Glisan/Troutdale Rd, which runs between the college campus in Gresham and the Gateway/NE 99th Ave Transit Center in outer Northeast Portland.
The new bus service is ultra-convenient for students. The bus stop is just up the stairs and past the fountain from the student union and other major hubs of campus life. Line 25 also links them with the regional transit system, with connections to the MAX Blue, Green and Red lines at the Gateway Transit Center, plus more than a dozen other bus lines.
We recently extended Line 25 to Fairview, Wood Village, Troutdale and Northeast Gresham. It now serves both Mt. Hood Community College and Reynolds High School, among other destinations. In addition, Line 25 now runs on all days, with buses arriving every 30 minutes for most of the day.
Traci Simmons, Associate Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Mt. Hood Community College, calls it a “game-changer” for Mt. Hood students.
A redesigned line
Line 25 was one of several bus lines that saw major upgrades as part of our most recent service improvements, which we rolled out Aug. 25. These improvements are part of TriMet’s Forward Together service concept: a new vision for how we provide bus service throughout our tri-county area.
The goal of Forward Together is to increase ridership and make bus a better option for more people, particularly those with low or limited income. That’s a challenge that many students at Mt. Hood Community College face.
Many students “don’t have access to a lot of resources like money, or gas, or even a car,” says Isaias Damian Figueroa, a second-year student. He usually rides his bike to school, or he catches another bus at a stop that is a lot further from his home. Line 25 runs right past his neighborhood, though — and he says now that it connects his home to campus, he’ll be taking the bus a lot more often.
Daniela Cabrales, another student and part-time employee at Mt. Hood Community College, says she’s already seeing a lot of fellow students on the bus. She calls it a “great resource,” both for Mt. Hood students and others who live in the community. About 30,000 people live within one-quarter mile of the extended Line 25.
Valued partnerships
TriMet serves a 533-square-mile area that includes parts of three counties. As we add service, we’re guided by the input we receive from members of the community. The feedback we hear from riders helps to shape the decisions we make about where, when and how often we run buses.
We also value our relationships! Mt. Hood Community College and the Reynolds School District are trusted partners of TriMet. For years, we’ve worked with them on fare programs that put transit passes in the hands of students. When our partners asked for more direct bus service, we listened — and answered, with the expanded service we’re providing on Line 25.
“TriMet has been helping us with providing Hop cards and passes and ways for students to get on and off campus for a long time,” says Simmons. “This is just that next level.”
Line 25 is an example of how TriMet is working with community partners to improve connections and expand access to opportunities throughout the region. On the same week we rolled out this new and improved service between East Multnomah County and Northeast Portland, we also:
Created a new bus line, Line 153-Stafford/Salamo, in response to requests from residents and local officials in Lake Oswego and West Linn for a connector between the two cities.
Added midday service on Line 29-Lake/Webster Rd, answering Clackamas County’s call for more buses to serve its new Lake Road Health Center.
Extended the MAX Red Line to the Hillsboro Airport/Fairgrounds MAX Station, a long-anticipated service improvement sought by business and community leaders in Washington County and the Port of Portland.
Those are just a handful of the service upgrades we made in August — and there’s more to come! We’ll continue to roll out more Forward Together improvements in the coming months. Stay tuned for more details.
Join our team! We’re looking for operators, maintenance workers, mechanics and more — and offering big hiring bonuses for some jobs
Join the TriMet team and jump start a career with opportunities for advancement.
***UPDATE (June 2025): Hiring bonuses for new operators have now closed.***
Competitive pay. Great benefits. Opportunities for advancement.
That’s what’s waiting for you when you join Oregon’s largest transportation service provider — TriMet.
We’re eager to continue improving and expanding our service, and that depends on bringing more operators, mechanics and support staff on board. Find out what it’s like to work for TriMet, ask questions, apply for open positions and maybe even interview on the spot on Wednesday, Oct. 9, at our hiring event. See if you have what it takes to join our team of nearly 3,500 employees and counting!
What’s on offer?
Whether you’ve pictured yourself behind the controls of a MAX train, at the wheel of a bus or tuning up a diesel engine, TriMet’s big hiring event is for you! We also have entry level jobs too, including service worker positions starting at $22.62/an hour.
We invite anyone interested in a job with TriMet to join us for this hiring event. It runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton, 1000 NE Multnomah St. in Portland. This venue in the Lloyd District is accessible by the MAX Blue, Green and Red lines, TriMet bus lines 8, 70 and 77, and Portland Streetcar’s A and B loops. Plan your trip at trimet.org!
For job seekers driving to the event, free parking will be available on-site.
Check out our complete list of open positions at trimet.org/careers. Job descriptions are available, including salary ranges, minimum qualifications and areas of responsibility.
We’re hiring transit operators, maintenance service workers, mechanics and technicians, among other positions. These serve vital functions at TriMet, allowing us to provide and add service throughout our tri-county service area.
New hires at certain positions are eligible for hiring bonuses, including a $7,500 bonus for new bus and MAX operators, and a $2,500 for select maintenance positions!
TriMet approved a new Working and Wage Agreement with the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 757 last month. Under this new contract, the hourly wage for operators starts at $29.35 and increases to $42.75 within three years!
About TriMet
TriMet provides transit service throughout much of the Portland metro area. We operate bus, MAX light rail, WES commuter rail and LIFT paratransit service across parts of Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties.
Established in 1969, TriMet is a municipal corporation of the State of Oregon. Our nearly 3,500 workers are public employees.
TriMet offers great benefits for employees, job stability and a welcoming, supportive work environment. Some of our operators have been driving for us for more than 30 years! TriMet provides affordable medical, dental and vision plans, and other amenities for employees. Coming in the years ahead are new perks for union employees, including $150 monthly childcare subsidy, $5,200 in annual tuition reimbursement and an increase to 10% for the employer contribution to each union employee’s 401(a) retirement plan.
Check out trimet.org/careers to learn more, or drop by and meet us at the hiring event on Oct. 9.
Officials cut the ribbon in Oregon City on better bus service, part of TriMet’s major Aug. 25 service update
City and county leaders joined TriMet officials outside the Oregon City Transit Center on Friday morning, Aug. 23, to highlight upcoming bus service improvements.
TriMet is adding several new bus lines and adjusting more to better meet riders’ needs, starting this Sunday, Aug. 25. We were proud to celebrate these improvements Friday with some of our key partners!
Clackamas County Commissioner Paul Savas and Mayors Denyse McGriff of Oregon City, Rory Bialostosky of West Linn and Joe Buck of Lake Oswego were among those who attended the ribbon cutting.
“Regional connections are vital to ensure that all our residents can move through our county, no matter where they live or work,” said Commissioner Savas. “I will continue working with TriMet and other partners to make transit in our area accessible, reliable, and convenient.”
“Oregon City has been working with our partner Clackamas County to bring improved transit/bus service to Oregon City,” Mayor McGriff said. “The proposed upgrades to the Transit Center and the new improved lines 34 and 76 will help improve the connectivity for our residents to get where they need to go — for both work, appointments and leisure activities.”
“The top of the hill in West Linn has not ever had TriMet service in the past, so this is increasing access to a whole new segment of West Linn and several of our neighborhoods,” Mayor Bialostosky said of the new improvements. “Any time we can increase connections and increase access to transit for folks, that’s awesome.”
“We are thankful for the continued work with TriMet and regional partners as we work together for continued improvements to the transit system that better serve our suburban community and create more connected, accessible, safe and climate-friendly transportation options for residents,” said Mayor Buck. “We are moving Forward Together!”
What’s new?
Starting Sunday, Aug. 25, we’re adding several new bus lines, adjusting several more to better meet riders’ needs, and discontinuing a few lines that overlap with new and existing service. You can find the details at trimet.org/servicechange.
In Clackamas County, TriMet is:
Creating Line 153-Stafford/Salamo, a brand-new community connector between Lake Oswego and West Linn.
Extending Line 34-Linwood/River Rd to serve the growing Clackamas Heights area of Oregon City
Adding midday service on Line 29-Lake/Webster Rd, so patients can take the bus to their appointments at the new Lake Road Health Center.
Extending hourly trips on Line 76-Hall/Greenburg to connect Washington County communities with West Linn and Oregon City.
Providing new northbound service on Line 291-Orange Bus to Portland City Center, running in place of some late-night MAX Orange Line trips.
Among other notable improvements across our service area:
The extended MAX Red Line will serve 10 additional stations west of the Beaverton Transit Center, providing a one-seat ride from the Hillsboro Airport to the Portland Airport.
The extended Line 25-Glisan/Troutdale Rd will connect the Gateway/NE 99th Ave Transit Center with Troutdale and East Gresham, adding stops at Reynolds High School, Mt. Hood Community College and other destinations.
The new Line 40-Tacoma/Swan Island will link major job centers like Swan Island and Downtown Portland with residential areas like the South Waterfront and Sellwood neighborhoods, as well as all five MAX lines.
Historic improvements
This service update has a tremendous scope — it’s one of the single largest updates in TriMet’s history. To prepare for it, we’re working on about 550 bus stops across the tri-county area. That includes installing new stops, updating signs at existing stops and removing stops that are closing.
We’re also installing new signage at about 100 MAX stations. Some of that signage is for the MAX Red Line extension. Other signage will direct late-night riders to buses running in place of the last few MAX trains of the night. This late-night service includes Line 291-Orange Bus, as well as new bus lines along the MAX Blue, Red and Yellow lines. Find more information at trimet.org/maxbus.
Plan your trip now at trimet.org. Just select a date on or after Sunday, Aug. 25, and find the best way to reach your destination on transit.
Forward Together
Partnerships and public input are central to TriMet’s Forward Together service concept.
Our goal with Forward Together is to increase ridership and improve service and connections for people, especially those who rely on transit to get where they need to go. We’re guided in this by the feedback we receive, from community members and leaders alike.
Our partners specifically requested some of the improvements included in next week’s service update — for example, midday service on Line 29 to the Lake Road Health Center, which was a key priority for Clackamas County.
We appreciate our partners! We count on their support and involvement as we provide high-quality transit service across the tri-county area, and we work closely with them to make that service even better. Like Mayor Buck said, we truly are moving Forward Together!
TriMet partners with PBOT to reduce red-light wait times along Capitol Highway, helping keep everyone moving
Riders on eight TriMet bus lines are getting back a little extra time in their day.
TriMet and the Portland Bureau of Transportation have teamed up to bring transit signal priority to three intersections along busy Southwest Capitol Highway, in the Hillsdale neighborhood of Southwest Portland.
PBOT added a Rose Lane to Capitol Highway back in 2022, allowing buses to move around congestion and arrive on time more often even during peak commute times.
Transit signal priority and Rose Lanes work together to reduce the amount of time buses spend sitting at red lights.
How it works
Signals at three Hillsdale-area intersections are newly equipped with transit signal priority:
Capitol Highway & Bertha Boulevard
Capitol Highway & Sunset Boulevard
Capitol Highway & Terwilliger Boulevard
These signals are now part of a network that tracks bus locations, so they “know” when a bus is approaching and can sync up their timing to give that bus faster green lights.
We’re harnessing the power of artificial intelligence to improve the transit signal priority network. Thanks to AI, these “smart signals” will actually get even smarter over time, as they “learn” traffic patterns and optimize their timing for more efficiency.
Thanks to the Rose Lane, TriMet buses can move ahead of traffic on Capitol Highway. But with transit signal priority, they’re not the only vehicles on the road that benefit.
On Capitol Highway, when the light turns green for a bus, it turns green for all other traffic, too. That means less time waiting, less pollution and less congestion. It helps pedestrians as well, with more frequent walk signs along Capitol Highway.
Do the math, see the benefits
Eight TriMet bus lines travel along Capitol Highway through Hillsdale:
This makes Capitol Highway one of the most heavily used roads by TriMet buses in our entire service area, making it a top priority for transit signal priority upgrades.
These eight lines have a combined weekly ridership of more than 36,400 trips. Many of those are regular riders who take the bus in both directions on a typical day. They’re now saving time in both directions, thanks to transit signal priority. On some lines, regular riders are saving 5 to 10 minutes per week!
TriMet buses on Capitol Highway also serve Ida B. Wells High School, in the heart of the Hillsdale neighborhood. Combined with PBOT’s Rose Lane, as well as schedule adjustments we’re making as part of our Aug. 25 service improvements, transit signal priority means students this fall will arrive on time more reliably, and they’ll spend less time in traffic on their way home from school.
Keep an eye out for more transit signal priority upgrades coming in other parts of TriMet’s service area! We want to save more riders more time on more bus lines, and we’re working with local partners — including PBOT and others — to make it happen.
Visit our website and plan your trip at trimet.org.
Our newest e-buses are now serving riders on Line 9, with more soon to follow
TriMet’s new battery-electric buses are officially on the road!
Twenty-four next-generation “e-buses” are entering service with TriMet this year. The first of those buses began welcoming riders aboard Line 9-Powell in July, offering a smooth, quiet and comfortable ride between Downtown Portland and the Gresham Central Transit Center. We’ll roll out more new e-buses on more lines in the coming weeks.
Our e-buses are zero-emissions vehicles, powered by 100% renewable electricity. That means they generate no air pollution, reducing overall vehicle emissions and improving air quality in our region.
They’re also American-made! We purchased these buses from GILLIG, a bus manufacturer headquartered in Livermore, California. GILLIG built the buses at its manufacturing facility in the San Francisco Bay Area and drove them about 650 miles up Interstate 5 to Portland earlier this year.
The bus electric
GILLIG outfits its state-of-the-art e-buses with six lithium-ion battery packs. TriMet recharges these batteries every time a bus returns to our Powell Operations Facility, so it’s ready to roll out again the next day.
With support from the federal government and Portland General Electric, we’ve been installing charging stations for our e-buses. Most recently, we added 24 charging stations at our Powell Facility in outer Southeast Portland, so each of the new e-buses has a place to plug in.
In place of an internal combustion engine, every e-bus has a powerful electric motor. This motor runs on battery power, with a range of well over 150 miles on a single charge in our latest generation of e-buses. We’ll keep track of how they perform over the next few months, tackling hilly terrain, varying temperatures, traffic conditions and more, as we evaluate how they can best serve our riders.
These new e-buses have 33% more battery capacity than the previous generation of GILLIG e-buses we first introduced in 2021. They will also be able to charge on the go. Like our short-range New Flyer battery-electric buses, which we first introduced in 2019, they’re equipped with overhead charging rails for fast charging. This will give us additional flexibility in how and where we run these buses.
As we roll out these e-buses, we’re replacing older diesel buses that have reached the end of the road with TriMet after many years of service. The 24 new e-buses are joining 10 e-buses that were already in service with TriMet, more than tripling the number of zero-emissions buses in our fleet.
Catching the wave of the future
TriMet has set a goal of a full transition to zero-emissions buses by 2040.
The 24 e-buses from GILLIG are paid for with state and federal funding. We appreciate the support we’ve received from our partners!
Reaching zero emissions requires more than a one-size-fits-all approach. The Federal Transit Administration awarded TriMet a $39 million grant this summer to help us continue moving toward a fully zero-emissions fleet. With this grant, we plan to purchase 14 hydrogen fuel-cell electric buses — a first for TriMet — before the end of this decade.
The 60-foot articulated fuel-cell electric buses will run along 82nd Avenue, one of the busiest traffic corridors in our region. Together with our partners at Metro, our goal is to open a high-capacity rapid bus transit line, similar to FX2-Division, along 82nd Avenue sometime in 2029.
The grant will also pay for the infrastructure and training we need to support these buses, including more upgrades for the Powell Operations Facility.
We also received a $25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation this summer for the development of our Columbia Operations Facility. This site supports our transition to zero-emissions buses, including fuel-cell electric buses.
