Starting Feb. 25, riders will see increased service on several bus lines, schedule improvements to keep buses on time and a route extension to help workers reach jobs

Editor’s note: This news release has been updated with more information.

As we continue working to make TriMet bus service better, we’re listening to our riders who say they want to see more buses at more times!

Starting Sunday, Feb. 25, we’re rolling out improvements on several bus lines, including four in our Frequent Service network, to better serve riders.

That means more buses arriving in the mornings and evenings on several of our most-used lines. Another line in Troutdale will be extended, making it easier for riders to reach major employers like Amazon and FedEx.

What’s new?

We’re improving some of our bus routes and connections. These upgrades are outlined in our Forward Together service concept, developed with the community, which we began implementing last summer.

Frequent Service

Buses on Frequent Service lines arrive every 15 minutes or better for most of the day, every day.

Starting the week of Feb. 25, we’re expanding Frequent Service on the following lines:

• Line 12-Barbur/Sandy Blvd
• Line 57-TV Hwy/Forest Grove
• Line 75-Cesar Chavez/Lombard

On weekdays, when more riders rely on TriMet, buses will arrive more often earlier in the morning and later in the evening on these lines. That effectively extends our Frequent Service hours on those lines, making them more convenient for more riders.

We’re also adding more morning and afternoon buses on a fourth Frequent Service line, Line 72-Killingsworth/82nd, to better serve McDaniel High School families on weekdays. Line 72 buses are often full around the time school opens and lets out. These additional buses mean more riders can take TriMet to their destination at peak times.

TriMet’s Frequent Service network includes 18 of our most-used bus lines — including our latest addition to the network, Line 48-Cornell, which was upgraded to Frequent Service in November 2023.

Route extension

Workers at the Troutdale Reynolds Industrial Park also have reason to rejoice.

We’re changing the route of Line 77-Broadway/Halsey and increasing service, extending some trips to the industrial park to better serve workers.

TRIP, as it’s sometimes called, has become a major job center in East Multnomah County, with companies like Amazon and FedEx employing thousands of workers there.

Extending Line 77 will make trips to TRIP faster and better for those workers who rely on TriMet. More buses will come around shift changes, dropping off arriving workers and picking up those heading home for the day, at stops conveniently located close to Amazon and FedEx’s facilities.

Schedule adjustments

Some TriMet riders will see their bus arrival time shift by as much as six minutes.

We’re adjusting our schedules on the following lines to improve connections and keep buses on time:

• Line 1-Vermont
• Line 10-Harold St
• Line 11-Rivergate/Marine Dr
• Line 16-Front Ave/St Helens Rd
• Line 33-McLoughlin/King Rd
• Line 39-Arnold Creek/Hillsdale
• Line 291-Orange Night Bus

Some lines will see smaller adjustments to help riders make transfers and give operators breaks.

For more details, check out trimet.org/betterbus/servicechanges-fy24spring.

We encourage riders to use our online trip planner at trimet.org to plan their trips and see when their bus will arrive.

Moving Forward Together

Through our Forward Together service concept, we’re redrawing our map of bus lines in response to community feedback, ridership data and TriMet priorities.

This is a long-range project with equity at its heart. TriMet’s goal is to increase ridership and create better connections to jobs and services for people with low and limited incomes.

Making these service improvements is a years-long process. We started rolling out Forward Together service improvements last summer, and we have much more still to come.

All of our service improvements depend on staffing. We haven’t been able to roll out improvements as quickly as we’d like because we’re still dealing with an operator shortage.

We are working to add operators — applicants are eligible for a $7,500 bonus if hired — as well as maintenance workers, with a $2,500 hiring bonus for many of those positions, too.

Join the team! Visit trimet.org/careers to learn about opportunities at TriMet, including upcoming hiring events. You can also find directions on how to apply on our website.

Open houses will be held Jan. 25-Feb. 1, with public input welcomed

***UPDATE (June 2025): Hiring bonuses for new operators have now closed.***

At TriMet, we’re continuing to redraw our bus service map in 2024 — and we need your help.

This spring, we will be putting the finishing touches on a plan to run more frequent buses along routes where we see high demand, extend service hours and days on multiple bus lines, adjust schedules to keep buses on time, and more. You’ll start seeing some of those improvements on Aug. 25, 2024.

It’s the next piece in our Forward Together service concept, which will guide our bus service improvements over the coming years.

Our goal with Forward Together is to increase ridership and expand and improve service and connections for people with low and limited incomes.

To accomplish that goal, we’re counting on feedback from our riders. We’ve already made changes to our earlier proposals based on public input and available staffing. Once more, heading into Forward Together planning for 2024-25, we want to hear from you.

Open houses

Make your voice heard at one of TriMet’s upcoming open houses.

We’ll share the details of our proposed service changes for 2024 and 2025, and TriMet representatives will be on hand to answer questions. Attendees will be able to submit their input as well.

Open house dates

• Thursday, Jan. 25, from 5-6 p.m. on Zoom. This virtual open house will be held in English and Spanish.
• Tuesday, Jan. 30, from 4-6 p.m. in the Tualatin Public Library Community Room, 18878 SW Martinazzi Ave. in Tualatin. This in-person open house will include information in multiple languages.
• Wednesday, Jan. 31, from 5-7 p.m. in the Portland Community College Rock Creek Event Center, Building 9, 17705 NW Springville Road in Bethany. This in-person open house will include information in multiple languages.
• Thursday, Feb. 1, from noon-2 p.m. in the University of Oregon White Stag Block, Rooms 142/144, 70 NW Couch St. in Portland. This in-person open house will be held in English and Spanish.

After the open houses, we’ll gather up the feedback we’ve received and use it to help shape the final version of our service plan for the year.

Submit your comments

Can’t make it to an open house? Not to worry — we still want to hear from you.

Have your say in TriMet’s Forward Together planning process by submitting your comments at trimet.org/plan. You can also give us a call at 503-238-7433 (RIDE) and share your thoughts on our proposed bus service.

Our public comment period on this round of Forward Together service improvements ends Sunday, Feb. 11. If you’d like to provide feedback on the plan, be sure to do so by then, to ensure what you have to say is considered as we wrap up our service plan.

We’ll present the results of our public outreach to the TriMet Board of Directors in March. A vote on the final service changes will likely take place in May. That will clear the way for new and improved bus service to begin as soon as August this year, if operator staffing allows.

Improving service

TriMet is proposing changes to 24 bus lines in the next round of our Forward Together service improvements, as well as three new bus lines to better serve riders.

More frequent buses

Three of our most popular bus lines would be upgraded to Frequent Service, meaning buses will arrive every 15 minutes or better for most of the day, every day:

• Line 52-Farmington/185th
• Line 77-Broadway/Halsey
• Line 87-Airport Way/181st

Those aren’t the only bus lines we plan to upgrade. Some lines would have their routes extended, so they serve significantly more stops. Additionally, some lines would see buses arrive more often. Lines to be upgraded include, but are not limited to:

• Line 17-Holgate/Broadway
• Line 24-Fremont/NW 18th
• Line 29-Lake/Webster Rd
• Line 67-Bethany/158th
• Line 81-Kane/257th

Replacing bus lines

With Forward Together, we’re taking a look at our entire bus system and figuring out how to serve our riders in the most efficient, most equitable way we can. That means some riders will see new line numbers on their routes, either because we’re introducing a brand-new bus line or we’re changing which lines serve their stop.

Under our proposal, the following line numbers would be retired and replaced with new service:

• Line 21-Sandy Blvd/223rd
• Line 80-Kane/Troutdale Rd
• Line 85-Swan Island
• Line 99-Macadam/McLoughlin
• Line 154-Willamette/Clackamas Heights

Skidmore Fountain MAX Station

Along with these bus service improvements slated to begin as soon as August 2024, TriMet is also considering a plan to close the Skidmore Fountain MAX Station in September 2025. Attendees can learn more about this proposal at the open houses and comment on it as well.

Find more details on all of the proposals and learn more at trimet.org/plan and trimet.org/maxdowntown.

Your ideas matter

Public input has consistently helped to shape TriMet’s Forward Together service concept.

TriMet incorporated feedback we received after we first unveiled Forward Together in 2022, which was reflected in our first round of service improvements last year.

That feedback has also influenced our planned second round of improvements in 2024-25.

TriMet is hiring!

Forward Together is a years-long overhaul of TriMet’s bus service.

Over the course of this project, our goal is to increase ridership, improve connections and expand bus service throughout the region. We want to provide better service for communities of need, add service in emerging neighborhoods and employment areas, and increase the frequency of buses in areas where we see high demand.

To add bus service, however, we need to have operators to drive those buses, and maintenance workers to keep them on the road.

Limited staffing has forced us to slow the pace of our service improvements. We had hoped to roll out some of the upgrades we’ve proposed for August sooner, but we delayed them due to our operator shortage.

You can help! Visit trimet.org/careers to learn about opportunities at TriMet. We are offering $7,500 hiring bonuses for bus operators, including part-time positions, and $2,500 hiring bonuses for mechanics and maintainers, along with great benefits and competitive salaries. Together, we can keep the tri-county area moving.

Free rides are back from 8 p.m. Dec. 31 through 3 a.m. Jan. 1, and MAX hours will be extended

Planning to be out and about this New Year’s Eve? Ride for free with TriMet!

Hop on MAX and TriMet buses and ride for free Sunday, Dec. 31, starting at 8 p.m., through Monday, Jan. 1, at 3 a.m. Portland Streetcar and C-TRAN, TriMet’s transit partners, are also lifting fares on New Year’s Eve.

Traffic fatalities in Portland reached a record high in 2023, and we know the risk of crashes is higher on holidays like New Year’s Eve. TriMet is proud to continue our long-running tradition of free rides on the last night of the year. Don’t drink and drive — count on TriMet to get you to and from your destination.

Check trimet.org for the latest route information and to plan your trip.

Ride on MAX

Staying up late to ring in the New Year? So is MAX! We’re extending service hours on MAX light rail into the early morning of Jan. 1, 2024.

• The MAX Blue Line will operate about three hours later than usual for Sunday service, with the last westbound train leaving the Cleveland Ave MAX Station at 1:57 a.m. and the last eastbound train leaving the Hatfield Government Center MAX Station at 1:31 a.m.
• The MAX Green Line will operate about two hours later than usual, with the last westbound train leaving the Clackamas Town Center Transit Center at 2:12 a.m. and the last eastbound train leaving the Pioneer Courthouse/SW 6th Ave MAX Station at 2:18 a.m.
• The MAX Orange Line will also operate about two hours later than usual, with the last northbound train leaving the SE Park Ave MAX Station at 1:56 a.m. and the last southbound train leaving the Pioneer Place/SW 5th Ave MAX Station at 2:02 a.m.
• The MAX Yellow Line will also operate about two hours later than usual, with the last northbound train leaving the Pioneer Courthouse/SW 6th Ave MAX Station at 2:27 a.m. and the last southbound train leaving the Expo Center MAX Station at 1:32 a.m.
• The MAX Red Line will operate about an hour and a half later than usual, with the last westbound train leaving the Portland International Airport MAX Station at 1:56 a.m. and the last eastbound train leaving the Beaverton Transit Center at 12:20 a.m.

Remember, you can always check trimet.org to find train arrival times at each station, plan your trip and track your train.

Go by bus

TriMet buses will follow Sunday schedules on New Year’s Eve. Bus lines that do not typically run on Sunday will not be operating.

Be sure to check trimet.org for your bus line’s schedule. You can also plan your trip, complete with connections to MAX, Portland Streetcar and other bus lines, and track your bus as it approaches your stop.

Stay safe

Our Customer Safety Supervisors will be working throughout the system to keep riders and operators safe on New Year’s Eve.

With more people expected to be traveling on New Year’s Eve, we encourage everyone to:

• Be alert and pay attention around buses and trains.
• Put away your devices and look both ways whenever crossing the street or tracks.
• Be respectful of operators and other riders.
• Check your surroundings for personal items before getting on or off a TriMet vehicle.
• Report any unwanted behavior or disruptive conduct.

We’ve made it easier to report security concerns 24 hours a day. For non-urgent matters, text or call 503-238-7433 (RIDE) or submit a report through the “security” button on trimet.org.

If you see something suspicious or dangerous while traveling, say something to a TriMet employee or call 911.

Plan ahead

For decades, TriMet has offered free rides to support safe, responsible celebrations on New Year’s Eve. Our goal is to help everyone get around the Portland metro area safely and start 2024 right.

Plan ahead by visiting trimet.org. You can find multiple options for how to get where you’re going, identify the way you want to go, and even print or save a link to your trip plan so you can refer back to it later. We’ll highlight each step along the way, so you can be sure you’ll know how to get there. And if you’re traveling after midnight, remember to set the date for Jan. 1, 2024!

Our web app also lets you track your train or bus in real time.

New Year’s Day service

New Year’s Day falls on a Monday. However, due to the holiday, MAX and bus lines will be operating on their Sunday schedules Monday, Jan. 1. Bus lines that do not run Sunday will not be operating. WES commuter rail also won’t be in service.

TriMet’s Customer Support Center at Pioneer Courthouse Square and the Lost & Found at the TriMet Operations Headquarters on SE 17^th Avenue will be closed on New Year’s Day. Both will reopen Tuesday, Jan. 2.

For more information, visit trimet.org/holidays.