Mural painted by the community as part of FX2-Division Grand Opening Celebration, becomes permanent fixture along TriMet’s first FX bus line

There’s music in the air at Southeast 42nd Avenue and Division Street. Crews working with TriMet completed installation of Angelina Marino-Heidel and Joel Heidel’s mural, “The Music,” last week. The striking artwork, which is one of the finishing touches of the Division Transit Project, rises outside the Cascadia Health building. The mural was painted by the community, as part of our FX2-Division Grand Opening Celebration last September. On any given day, TriMet’s distinctive, long, green FX buses pass this location nearly 200 times, giving our riders a unique view of the art on display.

Art, “Music” for Southeast 42nd and Division

“The Music” was developed to honor the completion of the Division Transit Project, which laid the foundation for TriMet FX® — Frequent Express, a first-of-its-kind transit service for TriMet and our region. It splashes across four panels, covering 432 square feet of the exterior of Cascadia’s Plaza Health Center. The artwork towers some 28 feet above ground, with views available from both the east and westbound FX stations on Division Street, down below.

As FX buses travel the 15-mile corridor from Gresham, through East and Southeast Portland to Downtown, the mural calls attention to “the diversity of cultures represented through the cacophony of music and dance within the area’s vibrant neighborhoods,” says Marino-Heidel. The piece includes references to textiles and materials used by indigenous peoples, Asian lanterns to represent the Jade District and flowers that symbolize commerce and wealth in African culture. 

Painted and shared with community

Not only does the mural offer a connection between TriMet and the vibrant communities we serve, the community came together to create the mural itself. It was painted by hundreds of people as part of TriMet’s FX2-Division Grand Opening Celebration, held in three locations last September 17, which were tied together by the new FX2-Division line. We collaborated with the artists to create a paint-by-numbers palette, to bring their vision to life. Everyone who came out to the event was invited to participate and leave their mark on TriMet’s most significant transit improvement project since opening the MAX Orange Line in 2015.  

Partners from start to finish

The mural fittingly came together as one of the final tasks of the $145 million Division Transit Project, and we thank our project contractor, Raimore Construction, for their partnership from start to finish. Raimore Construction, which is a certified disadvantaged business enterprise (DBE) and minority-owned business, met significant milestones with the Division Transit Project, including receiving the award for the largest DBE-contract in Oregon history, as well as achieving more than 75% overall DBE participation in the project, setting a new TriMet record for major projects.

Ride TriMet FX!

TriMet’s FX2-Division is a faster and more efficient, high-capacity bus service for our region, with longer, 60-foot vehicles; transit priority lanes and signals; and buses arriving every 12 minutes for most of the day. FX runs daily, with service from about 4:30 a.m. – 1:00 a.m. Learn more and plan your trip at trimet.org/fx.

Since 2018, TriMet has made our reduced Honored Citizen fare available to qualifying riders who earn up to 200% of the federal poverty level, as well as seniors and people with mental and physical disabilities 

More Oregonians can ride TriMet for significantly less, under new poverty guidelines released by the federal government. For 2023, the Department of Health and Human Services increased the federal poverty rate to $14,580. The adjustment makes it easier for people to qualify for our income-based Honored Citizen fare. It’s available to individuals who earn up to 200% of the poverty rate. What it means for this year, is that people who make up to $29,160 per year can qualify to ride TriMet at a deeply discounted rate; income levels increase with household size. Plus, sign up now at trimet.org/save and receive an additional bonus: one month of rides, 100% free! 

Reduced fare adds up for people with low incomes

Our Honored Citizen fare grants riders unlimited access to our bus and train services for $28 per month, which is 72% off the cost of Adult fare. It’s available to people who qualify based on income, age or mental or physical disability. 

To qualify based on income, annual earnings must be less than twice the federal poverty level. As that amount has risen to $29,160 for an individual in 2023, it has increased to $60,000 for a family of four and $80,560 for a family of six. You can also enroll based on participation in an established assistance program such as Oregon Health Plan (OHP)/Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and free and reduced price meals. Find a complete list of programs at trimet.org/income.

TriMet expanded our Honored Citizen fare to allow qualification based on income in 2018, after the state adopted the Keep Oregon Moving transportation funding act. It uses our industry-leading Hop Fastpass® electronic-fare system, which caps spending at $28 per month and helps riders manage costs. All participants receive a personalized Honored Citizen Hop card after verifying their identity and income with TriMet or one of our approved community partners. Income-based Honored Citizen fare is available to Oregon residents, ages 18-64. If you’re over 65 or have a disability, you also qualify to ride for less. Learn more about available options at trimet.org/honoredcitizen.

Get a month of rides for free!

This year, with funds from Keep Oregon Moving, we are continuing a special promotion that gives a month of free rides to every person who signs up for our Honored Citizen fare based on their income. TriMet will load a “TriMet Transit Assistance” pass onto the participant’s Hop account once they complete enrollment. Riders must tap their Hop card to activate the pass. During the month-long period for which the pass can be used, riders should remember to tap with every ride to show proof of valid fare. The dates that the pass is valid will be displayed in account information that is available at myhopcard.com, the Hop app and by calling 1-844-MYHOPCARD.

Partnerships provide a safety net

TriMet understands that for some, $28 per month is a hardship. That’s why we partner with more than 160 community-based organizations, agencies and service providers throughout our region, to put free and reduced fare into the hands of those who need it. Since 2015, we have provided more than $12.1 million in assistance to community and government agency partners through our Access Transit Fare programs. These programs were designed to increase independence, improve access to employment and employment resources, and provide community connections for thousands of people in our community with low and limited incomes.

Committed to equity

We believe access to public transportation is access to opportunity, and we are committed to equity and inclusion. As a public transportation agency, we serve a broad and diverse community. Our values are rooted in ensuring all riders have fair and equal access to transit services. All are welcome on our transit system. Learn more about TriMet’s equity efforts at trimet.org/equity.

Transportation partners C-TRAN and Portland Streetcar will once again join TriMet in suspending fares to promote transit equity on Rosa Parks’ birthday

“Her courageous act drew national attention to a simple truth, that civil rights must be protected for all,” states TriMet General Manager Sam Desue Jr., in an audio promotion for the day of free bus and train service. “By remaining seated, she took a stand.”  

Desue, who in 2021 became the first Black leader of Oregon’s largest transit agency, has long considered Parks to be a personal role model. He’s asking everyone who rides on Feb. 4 to reflect, not only on her contributions but also those of many others.

TriMet will honor the life and legacy of civil rights icon Rosa Parks with free rides on her birthday, Saturday, Feb. 4. Our partners at C-TRAN and Portland Streetcar will once again join us in suspending fare collection for the day, to promote transit equity and encourage reflection on Rosa Parks’ historic stand for equality on board a city bus in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955. Her refusal to give up her seat to a white person led to a U.S. Supreme Court decision, declaring segregation unconstitutional on public transit, bringing a turning point in the civil rights Movement.

“Think about the struggles of the men and women who came before us. Rosa Parks, Dr. Martin Luther King, Harriet Tubman, Andrew Young, all of those who have given their all, and some who gave their lives, for us to enjoy the freedoms and equality that we have today,” he said, with a reminder that the struggle isn’t over. “And continue to fight for freedom, social equity, justice and equality.”

Later this month and throughout 2023, TriMet will pay tribute to Rosa Parks with a bus decorated with special artwork in her honor. Created by Portland-based artist Hampton Rodriguez, “Rosa Parks’ Legacy” includes images depicting her arrest, the struggle to end segregation and the freedom she achieved, through equal access to public transportation. The bus will be assigned to different routes daily and will serve riders across our 533-square-mile service district for the rest of the year. 

Parks’ heroic stance contributed to the passage of landmark federal legislation, including the Civil Rights Act, adopted in 1964. The law bans discrimination on the basis of race, skin color or national origin. 

TriMet’s Board of Directors passed a resolution in 2020 declaring Parks’ birthday as a day to acknowledge her role in the civil rights movement. One year later, the Board adopted an ordinance that changed TriMet code to allow for fares to not be collected on Feb. 4 for years to come.

Learn more at trimet.org/rosaparks.

TriMet continues agency-wide hiring efforts in 2023, with events starting in January that help make getting a job easy

Doors of opportunity are open at TriMet. We are hiring, and as 2023 rolls ahead, we are looking to build our maintenance team from the ground up. We are hosting a special hiring event on Thursday, Jan. 19, at the DoubleTree Lloyd Center hotel in Northeast Portland. Anyone can stop by and put in an application, but this hiring event will focus on hiring Maintenance Service Workers. The Maintenance Service Worker position is full time, earns at least $20.91 per hour and comes with a package of excellent benefits for the employee and their family. Those interested in the opportunity should bring a photo I.D., resume and be prepared for an interview. We will be making conditional job offers on the spot!

Maintenance Service Worker Hiring Event 

Thursday, Jan. 19, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.

DoubleTree Lloyd Center – 1000 NE Multnomah St., Portland 

What is a Maintenance Service Worker? 

Maintenance Service Workers play an important role in TriMet operations and help keep our region moving nearly 24 hours a day, 365 days per year. They perform a wide variety of tasks focused on keeping TriMet’s buses, trains, buildings and grounds clean and in good working condition. They clean vehicles and platforms, fuel vehicles, chain up buses when needed, and more. Their work is essential to maintaining our vehicles and properties to provide the best service possible to the community. As a TriMet employee, service workers must consistently demonstrate a commitment to safety through daily work and overall job performance.

Those age 19 and older are welcome to join our ranks as a Maintenance Service Worker. A high school diploma or GED is required, as well as a valid driver license in good standing for at least three years. Service workers must be able to obtain an Oregon CDL Class B permit or license and must maintain their CDL in good standing while employed by TriMet. These are full-time positions that are represented by Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) 757. Starting pay is $20.91 per hour and increases regularly under the terms of our Working & Wage Agreement, until the employee reaches the top rate for the position, which is currently $30.27 per hour.

Service workers will report for work at one of our three bus operating garages or two rail operating facilities. We have locations in Southeast Portland, near Holgate Boulevard and I-205, as well as in Beaverton and Gresham. Service workers must be able to work any shift, including graveyard, and be available any day of the week. Service workers receive two consecutive days off per week. Schedules and garage assignments improve over time, as employees gain seniority in the union.

Join us and apply for work at TriMet!

If you are interested in this opportunity but unsure that you meet our qualifications, we encourage you to go ahead and apply! We will be happy to help you learn more about coming aboard with TriMet. We will be making conditional offers of employment to Maintenance Service Workers at this event, but we’re accepting applications today for any open position. Visit trimet.org/careers to learn more and get started!

Public invited to in-person and virtual events between Jan. 17 and Feb. 4, to give feedback on Forward Together service improvements for 2023-24 and fare increase proposal for Jan. 2024

TriMet’s public engagement for major service improvements planned for the coming year and a proposed 2024 fare increase continues, with 12 in-person and virtual open house events, beginning this month. The open houses start on Tuesday, Jan. 17, and run through Saturday, Feb. 4. TriMet staff will share information and answer questions about the first major bus improvements that we plan to roll out from our Revised Forward Together Service Concept. We’ll also gather feedback about a possible January 2024 fare increase to share with our Board of Directors before its vote on the proposal in the spring.

TriMet first launched our public outreach and engagement about the proposed fare increase in December, with an online fare proposal survey. The first Forward Together service changes being considered come after months of public engagement and feedback in late February and March in early 2022 and four weeks in the fall.

Forward Together 

Our Revised Forward Together Service Concept grew out of the comprehensive service analysis conducted in 2022. It helps us understand how people use transit to get around our region as the COVID-19 pandemic winds down. Forward Together provides a roadmap for growing our service by more than 30% in the coming years. It helps us get there by focusing on priorities defined by our community: increasing ridership and improving connections to destinations for people with low and limited incomes. 

We will begin adapting ideas from Forward Together into our service improvement plans later this year. The first package includes adjustments to 21 lines, including:

• 5 lines upgraded to Frequent Service, with buses arriving every 15 minutes or better, most of the day, every day
• 5 routes with buses running more often and earlier and/or later in the day
• 11 lines with route adjustments for faster, more direct trips and transfers
• 7 current lines discontinued 

Members of our outreach team will also gather feedback on a proposal to adjust Line 70-12th/NE 33rd Ave. We’d like to bring service closer to Cleveland High School, to make it safer and easier for students to access the bus. While some of the proposed changes to Line 70 were included in the draft Forward Together service concept, further adjustments have been made based on feedback, and the changes are now proposed for May 2023 due to renewed safety concerns around the Southeast Portland high school.

Find detailed descriptions of the proposals at trimet.org/plan.

Fare increase proposal

In May, TriMet’s Board of Directors is expected to vote on a fare increase proposal that would increase the cost of Adult fare for a 2 ½ hour ride by 30 cents and 60 cents for an all-day pass, and increase the cost of Honored Citizen and Youth fare by 15 cents for a 2 ½ hour ticket and 30 cents for a day pass. The proposal also calls for a 30 cent increase in fare for single rides on LIFT paratransit. The current proposal does not change the cost of monthly or annual fares. If approved, the increase would take effect on Jan. 1, 2024. TriMet last increased our Adult fare in 2012. That’s despite inflation and increases for other basic services over the past decade, as well as a 37% increase in the cost of running and maintaining our transit system.

Open house schedule

We have scheduled 12 open houses, starting Tuesday, Jan. 17 through Saturday, Feb. 4, for people to get more information and share their feedback. The events will be held in person and virtually via Zoom, where participants will have the option to join online or by phone. Handouts and materials will be available in English and 10 additional languages, at each open house. Where specified, events will have accommodations available for people who prefer languages other than English:

• Jan. 17, 4 – 6 p.m.: University of Oregon, 70 NW Couch St., Portland (Spanish)
• Jan. 18, 8 – 9 a.m.: Via Zoom (Spanish interpretation available by request)
• Jan. 18, 5 – 7 p.m.: St. Philip Neri, 2408 SE 16th Ave., Portland (Vietnamese)
• Jan. 19, Noon – 4 p.m.: Rosewood Initiative, 14127 SE Stark St., Portland (Spanish, Napali, Rohingya, Burmese)
• Jan. 21, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.: Via Zoom (Spanish interpretation available by request)
• Jan. 24, 5 – 7 p.m.: Clackamas Community College, 7738 SE Harmony Rd., Milwaukie (Russian, Ukrainian) 
• Jan. 25, 5 – 7 p.m.: Washington Street Conference Center, 102 SW Washington St., Hillsboro (Spanish)
• Jan. 26, 5 – 7 p.m.: Fairview City Hall, 1300 NE Village St., Fairview (Spanish)
• Jan. 28, 9 – 10 a.m.: Via Zoom (Spanish interpretation available by request)
• Jan. 28, 1:30 – 3 p.m.: Via Zoom (Spanish language only)
• Feb. 1, 5 – 7 p.m. Muslim Educational Trust, 10330 SW Scholls Ferry Rd., Tigard (Arabic, Farsi)
• Feb. 4, 9 – 10 a.m.: Via Zoom (Spanish interpretation available by request)

TriMet’s online survey is a quick and easy way to provide feedback on the fare increase proposal. The survey went live on Dec. 8, 2022. We’ve already received 2,539 responses, and you can leave open-ended comments. 

People can also share feedback on any topic involving TriMet during the public comment section of TriMet Board of Directors meetings, by phone and text at 503-238-RIDE (7433), via Twitter @trimethelp and online at trimet.org/help.

Here at TriMet, we’re ready to ring in 2023! The New Year will bring many improvements to service. We’re preparing for the future with our Forward Together service concept and will be furthering our focus on the climate with the addition of 24 new electric buses to our fleet. We’ll also be continuing our agency-wide effort to attract and retain frontline staff, especially operators, who are the driving force behind everything we do.

Before we welcome the New Year, we’re taking time to look back on the moments that marked 2022. From launching our first FX bus line, to running every diesel bus in our fleet on cleaner, greener R99 renewable diesel for a full year, we’re grateful for the many milestones reached. Share them with us again, in our Year in Review video, which answers the question, “What will we remember most about 2022?”

Happy New Year!

All of us here at TriMet wish you and yours a safe, happy and healthy holiday! We’re looking forward to moving you — and our region – in 2023.  

Revised Forward Together concept updates 22 bus line changes, including adjusted routes, combining lines, more buses running more days and hours

TriMet has revised our Forward Together service concept based on feedback that we heard from thousands of people during public engagement conducted throughout our service district in October. Forward Together is the redesign of our bus system to better serve the community, after travel patterns changed coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the most comprehensive analysis of our bus network in agency history, we put our ideas for better service together into a service concept and asked the public to share their thoughts and ideas as well. That public engagement resulted in 4,593 responses to our Forward Together survey and some 500 participants in open house events. 

TriMet and project consultant, Jarrett Walker + Associates, have reviewed the responses and developed a revised Forward Together service concept that will help guide service improvements in the years to come. We plan to begin rolling out ideas from Forward Together in 2023. However, it will take years to put all the proposals from the Forward Together concept out on the street, due in part to our need to hire more bus operators.

Forward Together – Revised

Our Forward Together service concept will help guide plans to expand service by more than 30% in coming years. Early engagement identified overarching goals for increasing ridership and better meeting the needs of people with lower incomes. Forward Together achieves this over time by expanding access to opportunities, creating more Frequent Service with buses coming more often and for more hours, improving connections to job centers, extending weekend service and providing new bus lines serving areas that are far from transit today.

We made updates to 22 bus lines since the draft service concept. We have developed a revised service concept map and summary description of changes by line and area, to help people fully understand what’s changed. Revisions came in a wide range that included adjusting routes, combining lines and expanding times of day or days of the week when buses run.

More opportunities to give feedback

TriMet will begin rolling out concepts from Forward Together in 2023, with the first package of improvements scheduled to begin in September and additional adjustments coming in 2024 and later years. The public will have opportunities to see the proposals for our next fiscal year and share feedback at open house events that are starting in January. We’ll be providing more information about those events, as well as a web page and online comment tool in January. People can also share feedback on any topic involving TriMet during the public comment section of our board meetings, by phone and text at 503-238-RIDE (7433), via Twitter @trimethelp and online at trimet.org/help.

The agency used more than five million gallons of cleaner burning R99 diesel since December 2021, decreasing environmental pollution and lowering maintenance costs

What happens when you take hundreds of buses that travel millions of miles and run them on renewable diesel? You start making a big difference–for the environment and for the people who live, work and play across TriMet’s 533-square mile service district. Since Dec. 2, 2021, our nearly 700 fixed-route buses have run on R99, a blend of 99% renewable diesel and 1% petroleum. Our diesel LIFT paratransit vans and buses along with our diesel WES commuter rail trains made the switch to the greener, cleaner-burning fuel on May 1, 2022. In the past year, we’ve used more than five million gallons of R99, a move which created cleaner air for our community, reduced maintenance costs and helped TriMet exceed milestones on our road to net-zero emissions by 2050. 

The move to renewable diesel, combined with our shift to renewable electricity for the MAX light rail system and all TriMet-owned facilities in June 2021, reduced TriMet’s greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 70%. We estimate that these climate actions will help TriMet avoid more than 193 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions each year. That is equivalent to taking almost 19,000 automobiles off the road annually, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

What is renewable diesel?

Renewable diesel is chemically identical to petroleum, but it contains nearly no fossil carbon. It is made from 100% renewable and sustainable resources like natural fats, vegetable oils and greases. Also referred to as renewable hydrocarbon diesel, it produces fewer emissions, resulting in a cleaner, low-carbon fuel. 

R99 replaced the B5 biodiesel blend TriMet had been using in our buses since 2006. Unlike higher concentrations of biodiesel, renewable diesel requires no changes to engines. Renewable diesel is processed in the same way as petroleum and performs better than biodiesel in cold air. In addition, it requires no blending and burns cleaner than biodiesel or petroleum diesel. 

Benefits add up

As renewable diesel burns much cleaner than traditional diesel fuel as well as biodiesel, TriMet expects to see significant maintenance cost savings over time. Since making the transition to R99 in our fixed-route fleet one year ago, we have experienced a notable decrease in maintenance issues related to our buses’ emissions systems. That’s because renewable diesel is easier on the exhaust after-treatment systems that are installed on our buses. That ultimately lowers the time and cost required to maintain them. In fact, TriMet estimates annual maintenance cost savings could reach as much as $100,000 per year.

The road to net-zero emissions

As TriMet pursues net-zero emissions by 2050, our adoption of renewable energy helps meet milestones defined in our Climate Action Plan. By purchasing renewable electricity and renewable diesel in the past year, we estimate exceeding our 2022 goal for a 60% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (from a 2020 baseline), by about 10%.

TriMet continues to test and vet electric bus technologies in our move to a zero-emissions bus fleet by 2040. Earlier this year, we made our first bulk purchase of electric buses, 24 long-range battery-electric buses manufactured by GILLIG. The buses will start arriving in 2023, and will expand TriMet’s current electric bus fleet to 34 vehicles by mid-2024. We continue to explore the potential of emerging technologies including four diesel-to-electric conversion buses, and what is believed to be the world’s first 60-foot, articulated bus converted to 100% electric. Learn more at trimet.org/sustainability.

Annual holiday detours of 11 bus lines begin on Black Friday, return for season’s busiest shopping days through December 26

It’s that time of year, when TriMet teams up with holiday helpers to keep people moving around Clackamas Town Center. The influx of shoppers on the busiest days of the season can bring parking lots to a standstill. That’s why we’re getting ready for our annual holiday detours around the mall, to help our riders avoid congestion and do our part to keep everyone moving. 

Starting Friday, Nov. 25, we will begin detours on 11 bus lines that serve the mall at Southeast 82nd Avenue and Sunnyside Road. The detours are temporary and will be in place between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. on select dates through Monday, Dec. 26. We understand that this temporary change will mean some inconvenience for our riders, and we thank them for their patience as we do our best to keep the “Bah! Humbug!” out of the holiday season!

2022 holiday detour details

Lines

• 29, 30, 31, 33, 34, 71, 72, 79, 152, 155, 156

Dates

• Friday, Nov. 25
• Saturday, Dec. 17 – Saturday, Dec. 24
• Monday, Dec. 26

Hours

• 1 p.m. – 6 p.m.

The Clackamas Town Center Transit Center will remain open, and the detour will not affect MAX Green Line service. We encourage riders to plan an extra 15 minutes for travel while the detour is in place.

Temporary stop locations

• When detours are in effect, bus stops near the Clackamas Town Center Transit Center will be closed. These stops (ID 13247 and ID 13248) are located off of Ring Road, which loops around the parking lot.
• The stop for eastbound Clackamas Town Center buses (ID 12921) will be closed and moved to a temporary location between the entrance of the Cinema and Monterey Avenue.
• From the temporary stop, buses will travel to the SE Fuller Rd MAX Station, where riders can transfer to the MAX Green Line.
• At the Fuller Rd MAX Station, riders can board a Green Line train to continue to the Clackamas Town Center mall stop (ID 12922).
• Westbound buses will serve a temporary stop at the SE Fuller Rd MAX Station before continuing to the Clackamas Town Center Mall stop (ID 12922).
• Signs will be posted and Customer Service staff will be on hand at the closed stops to help riders find their buses and answer questions.

Tips for going from a bus to the MAX Green Line

• Stay onboard your bus and continue to SE Fuller Rd MAX Station.
• Board a bus at the temporary stop between the cinema and Monterey Avenue and transfer to MAX at the SE Fuller Rd MAX Station.
• Get off at the Clackamas Town Center Mall stop (ID 12922) and proceed about ½ mile to Clackamas Town Center Transit Center to board MAX.

Tips for going from the MAX Green Line to a bus

• Proceed about ½ mile from Clackamas Town Center Transit Center to Clackamas Town Center Mall stop (ID 12922) to catch a bus.
• Get off MAX at SE Fuller Rd MAX Station and board a bus at the temporary stop in the parking lot.

Thank you and happy holidays!

We appreciate our riders’ understanding as we make adjustments to safely and efficiently serve the community. If you need help or have questions, our Customer Service team is available by phone and text at 503-238-7433 (RIDE) and on Twitter @trimethelp from 7:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m., seven days a week. Happy Holidays from TriMet!

TriMet has retained our national reputation as a creditworthy and responsible steward of financial resources. Kroll Bond Rating Agency (KBRA), one of the nation’s leading credit-rating firms, has reaffirmed our AAA bond status for the fifth straight year. 

AAA is the highest possible rating from Kroll. The agency describes the esteemed position as “assigned only to the very highest quality” candidates, “able to survive extremely challenging economic events.” It has granted the top-tier rating to TriMet every year since 2018.

In its reaffirmation, KBRA recognized TriMet for “a diverse and growing economic base [and] a highly reliable revenue source, which demonstrated resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic.” The rating is largely based on the strength and stability of Oregon’s employer payroll tax, which is our highest revenue source.

Achievement of the AAA rating helps generate interest in our bonds, which lets us command a better price. TriMet is allowed to spend proceeds from bond sales for items like bus purchases and major construction efforts such as the Division Transit Project.

We issued more than $400 million in bonds on Oct. 5, 2021, of which $229 million was refunding bonds to take advantage of lower interest rates and $181 million was new money. The funds will be used for our A Better Red MAX extension and improvements project, our Powell Operating Facility renovation and the purchase of new light rail vehicles.

History of excellence

In 2015, TriMet became the first special tax-backed transit agency to achieve an Aaa rating from Moody’s Corporation. Then, in 2017, we became the only special tax-backed transit agency to achieve the triple A rating from both Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s Global Ratings, reflecting the creditworthiness of government bonds. In May 2018, TriMet received accolades from a third rating agency, Kroll, and became the first transit agency in the nation to have a special tax-backed bond rated triple A by the three top rating agencies at the time: Moody’s (Aaa); Standard & Poor’s Global (AAA); and KBRA Kroll Bond Rating Agency (AAA).

Budget accolades

In addition, the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) awarded our Budget & Grants department a Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for the third year in a row. The GFOA conducts a rigorous budget review process to ensure that organizations are not only spending their money wisely, they’re effectively telling their story to stakeholders.

About TriMet

TriMet provides bus, light rail and commuter rail transit services in the Portland, Oregon metro area. We connect people with their community, while easing traffic congestion and reducing air pollution — making our community a better place to live.