TriMet’s reduced fare program saved riders on low incomes about $13.4 million in less than five years; sign up today and reduce costs immediately, plus receive a month of free rides

Late last month, TriMet signed up the 50,000th person to ride TriMet, C-TRAN and Portland Streetcar at a reduced rate, based on their income. The milestone came just three months shy of the five-year anniversary of when we expanded our Honored Citizen fare program to those struggling financially. This allowed thousands of Oregonians living with limited means to access vital transportation services for less. In fewer than five years, riders living on a low income saved almost $13.4 million through our reduced fare program! 

Earn less? Sign up to save big 

Our Honored Citizen fare program allows qualified participants to pay half price for 2 ½-hour tickets and day passes, and enjoy additional savings the more they ride. It is available to seniors, age 65 and older, people on Medicare and people with disabilities, as well as Oregonians, ages 18-64, who qualify based on their income.

When you use an Honored Citizen Hop Fastpass® fare card, you will never pay more than $28 per month. That means you can take unlimited rides on TriMet buses and trains, as well as C-TRAN and Portland Streetcar, for 72% off the cost of Adult fare, which can add up to annual savings of $864 or more! 

TriMet began offering enrollment in the Honored Citizen reduced fare program to people with qualifying incomes in July of 2018, with new funds from Keep Oregon Moving (HB 2017). Participants qualify if they earn up to double the federal poverty level, which equals $29,160 per year for an individual or $49,720 for the head of a three-person household. Riders already enrolled in programs such as Oregon Health Plan (OHP) or Free & Reduced Price Lunch can immediately qualify with proof of participation. Photo I.D. is also required.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we made some changes to make enrollment easier. You can now apply online, in person at the TriMet Customer Support Center at Pioneer Courthouse Square, or with one of our trusted community partners. All participants receive a personalized Honored Citizen Hop card. Once the card is loaded with funds, you can start saving right away! Remember to tap your card with every ride, and Hop adds up the savings for you.

One month of rides free!

Once you complete enrollment for Honored Citizen fare based on income, we’ll set you up to ride TriMet for free for one month. Here’s how. Using funds from Keep Oregon Moving, we’ll load your new Honored Citizen Hop card with a “TriMet Transit Assistance” pass. Tap the card to activate the pass, and remember to tap with every ride to show proof of valid fare. You will not be charged during the month-long period in which the pass can be used.

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 $30 million to our Access Transit Fare Programs, including $12.1 million in assistance to community and government agency partners. 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.

Proposed fare increase

TriMet’s Board of Directors is considering a fare increase proposal that, if approved, would take effect on Jan. 1, 2024. Currently the proposal calls for increasing Adult 2 ½-hour tickets and LIFT single ride tickets by 30 cents to $2.80. Honored Citizen and Youth 2 ½-hour tickets would increase by 15 cents to $1.40. Adult day passes would go up by 60 cents to $5.60, and Honored Citizen and Youth day passes would go up by 30 cents to $2.80. 

The proposal calls for no change to monthly and annual fares and caps. TriMet’s Honored Citizen fare would remain at $28 per month. As a result, riders using the Honored Citizen Hop card will reach their monthly fare cap faster. After tapping for 10 day passes, they’ll ride free for the rest of the month. The Board is scheduled to vote at its May meeting on May 24, 2023.

Fiscal Year 2024 budget, which will guide agency spending from July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024, includes $817.3 million for day-to-day operations, up $67.4 million from the previous year’s budget

TriMet’s proposed budget for the coming year includes $817.3 million for day-to-day operations as we continue to bring on new bus operators and begin adding back service for the first time since August 2020. The agency’s Fiscal Year 2024 Budget, which totals $1.92 billion, also includes $322.3 million for capital investments. 

The coming year will bring the first of several service improvements coming out of our Forward Together Service Concept. We’ll also reach substantial completion of our “A Better Red” MAX project, expand our investment in bus electrification and continue our efforts to help riders with low incomes access transit. 

The proposed budget balances priorities with our ongoing, agency-wide efforts to restore our workforce, increase ridership and maintain a transit system that is safe, welcoming and accessible to all.

Fiscal Year 2024 resources

The proposed budget does assume a fare increase that includes TriMet’s first increase of our base fare in more than a decade, which the TriMet Board of Directors will vote on at its May 24 meeting. If the Board does not move forward on the fare increase, TriMet’s Finance Department is prepared to revise the budget for Board adoption in June. Local law requires the budget to be in place before the fiscal year begins on July 1.  

Resources supporting the Fiscal Year 2024 budget include:

• $77.1 million in operating revenue.
• $515.8 million in tax revenues.
• $157.3 million in federal funding.

Funding priorities

The proposed budget supports the agency’s business plan, which is the guide that we use to align financial decisions with our agency’s vision, mission and values. The FY2024 budget lays out priorities under four main categories: transit service; transit equity, inclusion and community affairs; capital investments; and electrification.

• Transit service: In addition to maintaining current levels of service across our 533-square service district, TriMet plans to begin restoring service hours that were cut in 2021, due to ridership declines from the COVID-19 pandemic, and in 2022, due to our historic operator shortage. The FY2024 budget begins to roll out plans from our Forward Together Service Concept, which was developed to better serve riders based on travel patterns that changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The first package of service changes is scheduled to begin in September.

• Transit equity, inclusion and community affairs: Since TriMet opened our reduced fare to riders who qualify based on income in 2018, nearly 50,000 have signed up to ride for significantly less. The Honored Citizen reduced fare, which is also open to seniors age 65+, people on Medicare and people with disabilities, cuts the cost of riding monthly and annually by as much as 72%. TriMet’s FY2024 budget continues to support riders who are struggling financially through our Access Transit Program, which work with local nonprofits and organizations to get free and reduced fares to riders who need them.  

• Capital investments: TriMet plans to complete most of the remaining construction for our “A Better Red” MAX Extension and Reliability Project during FY2024, which continues through June 30, 2024. Once finished, the project will improve reliability of the entire MAX system, by adding new sections of track to alleviate choke points and extending the MAX Red Line to Hillsboro/Fair Complex, which will give more people a one-seat ride to Portland International Airport and provide more service in Hillsboro. 

• Electrification: TriMet will shift our bus electrification program into higher gear during FY2024, as we accept delivery of 24 new battery-electric buses. The buses make up our first bulk purchase of electric vehicles since adopting our plan to fully transition to a zero-emissions bus fleet by 2040. In addition to buying battery-electric buses, electrification requires significant investments in infrastructure and training to charge and maintain the buses.

Providing feedback

TriMet invites the public to provide feedback on the budget during public testimony at upcoming Board meetings, scheduled for March 22, April 26 and May 24, and through our regular Customer Service channels. Reach us via email at hello@trimet.org; on Twitter @trimethelp; and by phone or text or 503-238-7433 (RIDE). 

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.

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.

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.

Nearly 4,600 responses collected over four weeks of outreach and engagement will help shape Forward Together plan, with additional public comment periods held as individual bus line changes roll out

Forward Together, TriMet’s reevaluation and redesign of our bus service, moves into a new phase this week. As part of Forward Together, we took the most in-depth and comprehensive look at our bus network ever. We developed a draft service concept that includes a sweeping re-envisioning of when and where our buses might run to better serve our community, given changes in travel caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. And then we took that concept to you–our riders, members of the community and the general public–and asked: What do you think? Are we on the right track? Will Forward Together allow more people, especially those with low and limited incomes, more access to our services to reach more jobs and places at more times? 

What we heard will now inform a revised Forward Together service plan that we will take to the TriMet Board of Directors for approval in December. If the overall plan is approved, the community will have more opportunities to provide feedback on any of the individual changes we plan to pursue in the future as part of our annual service improvements. Two rounds of outreach and public comment are held annually for our service improvements.

October outreach wraps up

We spent the month of October engaging the community around the ideas presented in the Forward Together draft concept. We hosted a series of more than half a dozen open houses, held in person and virtually, in English and Spanish, across our service area and in partnership with community-based organizations. We also posted details of the concept online and conducted a survey to gain a better understanding of how adjustments included in the concept might impact our riders. Nearly 4,600 people completed the survey, with about 125 responses submitted in languages other than English. In addition, we interacted with some 500 people during open house events, who were invited to speak with a TriMet Service Planner and leave hand-written comments on the concept.

What happens next?

Over the next several weeks, TriMet will review the feedback received with our Forward Together contractor, Jarrett Walker + Associates, and put together a plan based on what we heard. Then, we will present the findings from the survey, as well as a revised service concept, in a resolution to our Board of Directors at their December 14 business meeting. The resolution will request the Board’s approval on the direction of the Forward Together project to date and support for continued development. Additional outreach and public comment periods will come in the future when adjustments to individual bus lines or schedules are proposed as part of our annual service changes.

All meetings of the TriMet Board of Directors are open to the public, and business meetings include a public forum. During the public forum, members of the community can follow steps to offer testimony on any topic for the public record. Testimony can be made in person, virtually when possible and by email at boardtestimony@trimet.org. 

Moving Forward Together

If the Board approves the Forward Together resolution, TriMet will take the comprehensive plan that we are developing back to our Mobility Planning and Policy, Scheduling and Operations teams to start talking about implementation. The soonest our riders and the public could see any of the changes identified in the Forward Together plan roll out would be September 2023. That will occur as budgets and operator staffing levels allow, but not before the public has opportunities to provide more comment about the individual bus line proposals.

Our goal is for Forward Together to become a guide that shapes annual service improvement plans for years to come. The annual service improvement process includes at least two rounds of public engagement and feedback periods on every proposed bus line change. We will hold more open houses, accept comments online and by phone, as well as provide opportunities for testimony and discussion during regular meetings of the TriMet Board of Directors during those feedback periods. 

We are tentatively planning an open house in January 2023, which could include the first proposed Forward Together service adjustments that would go into effect in September 2023. Learn more and follow our process at trimet.org/forward.

TriMet begins online, in-person and virtual public outreach on a “Forward Together” concept that could move more people to more places they want to go

COVID-19 changed where people go and how they get there. At TriMet, we recognize that we may need to make big changes as a result. As we come out of the pandemic, we want to make sure that our transit service reflects the current needs of the community. We’re launching a new phase of community engagement around changes to TriMet bus service that we’re thinking about as part of a much bigger transit concept we call “Forward Together.”

As part of “Forward Together,” TriMet took the most in-depth and comprehensive look at our bus network ever. We’ve now developed a service concept that would be a sweeping re-envisioning of our bus network and would give more people access to our services, to reach more jobs and places.

TriMet conducted an initial survey in spring 2022. Based on feedback from 5,500 riders, stakeholders and community members, we’ve developed a draft concept that would change more than 80% of our bus service. It would also:

•       Bring bus service closer to 50,000 more residents.
•       Make weekend service available to 100,000 more people.
•       Provide Frequent Service to 50% more people and jobs.
•       Make it easier to reach more jobs in 45 minutes or less.

What do you think? Are we headed in the right direction? Let us know by weighing in at trimet.org/forward. Responses will be accepted through October 31. Along with the online survey, we’re hosting open houses in person and virtually.

Forward Together Open House Schedule

Tuesday, Oct. 18, 11:30am  – 1:30 p.m.

PCC Cascade – Lobby of Cascade Hall, 5625 North Albina Avenue, Portland

Wednesday, Oct. 19, 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.

Rosewood Initiative – 14127 Southeast Stark Street, Portland

Thursday, Oct. 20, 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Shute Park Library – 775 SE 10th Ave, Hillsboro

Saturday, Oct. 22, 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Zoom virtual open house in Spanish — Meeting Link

Wednesday, Oct. 26, 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.

CCC Harmony – Room 120/130, 7738 Southeast Harmony Road Milwaukie

Thursday, Oct. 27, 5:30 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Zoom virtual open house in English — Meeting Link

Why “Forward Together”?

TriMet would like to expand service by as much as 30% in the coming years, but what that could look like is much different today than before the COVID-19 pandemic. The “Forward Together” concept helps connect the dots. Early community engagement found broad support for two key goals: focusing on ridership and improving connections to destinations for people with low and limited incomes. The map (below) presents one idea of how these priorities could look, in terms of our service.

Do you agree?

This is big, and we want to know if you think we are on the right track. Feedback that we receive about the “Forward Together” concept now, could have a significant impact on how it looks in the future. That’s why public involvement is so important. Do you agree with the guiding principles and service priorities? 

• Improving access to opportunities.
• An expanded grid, with new routes serving new areas in all three counties, especially East Multnomah County.
• More Frequent Service bus lines.    
• More bus lines with service running every 30 minutes or better.
• More and better weekend service.
• New lines serving areas that are far from transit today.
• Reduced service to some low-demand, mostly higher-income areas.

Let us know. Based on what we hear from riders, the community and employees through October, we’ll update our Forward Together concept into a plan for the future.

Riders could see the first system and service changes as early as 2023. However, full implementation of “Forward Together” is dependent upon ending our operator shortage. While TriMet is making progress, we are unable to predict when that might happen. We hope to roll out new service changes around the Forward Together concept within the next five years. 

Learn more and follow the process as we move “Forward Together” at trimet.org/forward.

TriMet begins FX2-Division Frequent Express bus service, updates routes and improves schedules for fall, while implementing a temporary, 2% service-level reduction due to ongoing operator shortage

TriMet FX® is at your service, with a new type of transit for the 15-mile Division Street corridor, from Gresham to Downtown Portland. This morning, FX picked up its first riders, as our big, new, green buses rolled into service on Division Street. FX is a better, faster, higher-tier bus service, and it’s a first-of-its kind for TriMet and our region. What makes FX different? From its longer, articulated buses, to enhanced bus stop stations at key locations and transit signal priority technology that helps buses avoid traffic and reach their destination faster and on time, FX is optimized for speed and reliability in every way.

The FX difference: What to expect

• 15-miles of FX—Frequent Express—bus service on the Division Street corridor, between Gresham and Downtown Portland
• Buses arriving every 12 minutes most of the day, with daily service from about 4:30 a.m. – 1:00 a.m.
• New, 60-foot buses with space on board for 60% more people and time-saving features including all-door boarding, Hop Fastpass® electronic fare readers at every entry and on-board bike racks 
• 42 pairs of bus stop stations (more similar to MAX stations), with features like weather protection, seating, TransitTracker™ real-time displays and more
• New transit-only signals and Business Access & Transit (BAT) lanes in key locations to give buses more green lights and keep riders moving past traffic congestion
• An expanded route, with service to Cleveland Ave Park & Ride and use of the car-free Tilikum Crossing, Bridge of the People, to cross the Willamette River

FX2 launch brings additional adjustments

As part of our launch of the FX2-Division service, we’re making adjustments to Line 10-Harold and updating stops at Gresham Central Transit Center and the Portland Transit Mall. We’ve also retired Line 2-Division. Line 10 will move from Southeast Ladd Avenue to Southeast 7th, to cover some stops that Line 2 previously served. It also now has weekend and holiday service.

All riders are encouraged to visit trimet.org to plan your trip! We’ve also updated schedules across much of the TriMet system, for streamlined connections between FX2-Division, many other bus lines and MAX.

More moves for fall 2022

Our fall service brings minor service expansions and schedule improvements to 16 additional bus lines. At the same time, we are reducing service on 10 bus lines, including canceling service on two low-ridership lines due to our operator shortage. Here’s what you need to know:

• Schedule and route improvements: We’re adding buses to Line 17-Holgate to bring arrivals to every 30 minutes between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. We’re also adjusting the routes of Line 20-Burnside/Stark and Line 24-Fremont to improve transfers. In addition, we’re adjusting schedules on the following lines to help keep buses on time and make connections easier: 12, 16, 21, 44, 45, 70, 71, 73, 74, 75, 76, 78 and 94. 
• Temporary service-level reduction: As we announced in June, TriMet will implement a temporary 2% bus service level reduction to address our ongoing operator shortage. Starting today, service has been adjusted on the following eight bus lines: 1, 8, 9, 18, 26, 72, 81 and 82. We are canceling service due to very low ridership on lines 50 and 92. We also reduced service due to our historic operator shortage in January 2022.

Forward Together

With the COVID-19 pandemic changing the way people travel, TriMet has launched Forward Together, a comprehensive service analysis and community engagement effort to determine a better bus system. We’re taking a look at where buses are running now and where they should run. We’ll be sharing more about the effort in the weeks ahead and asking our community for help in shaping the future of our bus service.

With numerous adjustments occurring across the system on Sunday, Sept. 18, TriMet encourages all riders to plan ahead and visit trimet.org to prepare

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

Starting Sunday, Sept. 18, TriMet will launch of our first TriMet FX® — Frequent Express — bus line. Our fall service also brings minor service expansions and schedule improvements to 17 bus lines, plus updates to bus stops at Gresham Central Transit Center and the Portland Transit Mall. However, we’re also reducing service on 10 existing bus lines, including canceling service on two low-ridership lines, due to the current operator shortage. The 2% reduction in service levels is temporary to bring schedules in line with our current staffing while we bring on more operators. With more than 30 lines being adjusted for fall, we encourage all riders to visit trimet.org and plan a trip for Sept. 18 or later, to see how they could be affected by these updates.

Positive moves for fall 2022

FX2-Division: We’re launching our new TriMet FX® — Frequent Express — bus service, with FX2-Division starting on Sept. 18. FX2-Division will bring better, faster, higher-tier bus service to the 15-mile Division Street corridor, with buses arriving every 12 minutes and improved travel times between Gresham and Downtown Portland. New 60-foot, articulated bus can carry 60% more riders than a standard bus, and transit priority signals and lanes will move them around other traffic.

• Line 2-Division: TriMet will retire Line 2-Division and replace it with FX2-Division. FX2 follows much of the same route as Line 2; however, it extends farther to the east in Gresham, to the Cleveland Ave Park & Ride. On the west end of the route, FX2-Division will use the car-free Tilikum Crossing, Bridge of the People, instead of the Hawthorne Bridge, to provide new connections to OHSU and Portland State University.
• Gresham Central Transit Center: We are reorganizing stops to support the launch of FX2-Division service and make transfers easier for riders.
• Downtown Transit Mall: We are updating some bus stop locations for FX2-Division service, which will also improve connections for riders on other lines.

Line 10-Harold: We’re moving the route on Line 10-Harold from Southeast Ladd Avenue to Southeast 7th, to cover some stops that the retiring Line 2 had served. We are also adding weekend service.

Line 17-Holgate/Broadway: We’re increasing weekday service, so that buses run every 30 minutes between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m.

Line 20-Burnside/Stark: Buses are moving from Northeast Hood to Northeast Kelly, to improve transfers at Gresham Central Transit Center. 

Line 24-Fremont: We’re extending the route to Collins Circle to improve transfers in Southwest Portland.

Bus schedule improvements

We are adjusting schedules on 13 bus lines to help keep buses on time and improve transfers. Affected lines include the 12, 16, 21, 44, 45, 71, 73, 74, 75, 76, 78 and 94. The schedule for Line 70 will also be temporarily adjusted due to the closure of the Northeast 33rd Avenue bridge over Lombard Street.

Temporary service-level reduction 

As we announced in June, TriMet will implement a temporary 2% bus service level reduction on Sept. 18, to address our ongoing, historic operator shortage. Service will be adjusted on the following eight bus lines: 1, 8, 9, 18, 26, 72, 81 and 82. We are canceling service due to very low ridership on lines 50 and 92. TriMet also reduced service due to the operator shortage in January 2022.

Temporarily reducing service to match our staffing levels means that riders will experience far fewer canceled buses, as we continue to restore our workforce. We hope to begin adding back service hours in 2023. TriMet’s incentives of a $7,500 hiring bonus and increased starting pay of $25.24 continue to drive applications. Starting pay for operators will increase by 7.5% in December 2022 and 4% in December 2023, under an approved two-year contract extension between TriMet and the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) 757.

Forward Together

When TriMet starts adding back service, we want to make sure we are serving the needs of our community. With the COVID-19 pandemic changing the way people travel, TriMet has launched Forward Together, a comprehensive service analysis and community engagement effort to determine a better bus system. We’re taking a look at where buses are running now and where they should run. We’ll be sharing more about the effort in the weeks ahead and asking our community for help in shaping the future of our bus service.

With resources from Keep Oregon Moving, TriMet continues to find new ways to support low-income riders with a free pass for unlimited rides for the first month of enrollment

Relief is on the way for new and returning riders to TriMet’s income-based reduced fare program. You’re getting a month of unlimited rides on our buses and trains, for free! This year, as a result of COVID-19’s impact on ridership, we have access to an unexpected financial resource: unspent funds from the state of Oregon. These funds, which were distributed to TriMet under Keep Oregon Moving, must be used to help riders with low incomes access transit.

Starting in July and for the next two years, TriMet will give every new and re-enrolling participant in our reduced fare program based on income a free, one-month pass. This will offer continued support to the many riders and essential workers who have relied on our system throughout 2 ½ years of the pandemic’s unprecedented impact, while ensuring the funds serve the members of our community for whom they are intended.

A reduced fare for those who qualify based on income

TriMet’s reduced fare based on income is available to Oregon residents, ages 18 through 64, who qualify for our Honored Citizen Fare based solely on annual income. The discounted rate is available to people who participate in programs such as Oregon Health Plan (OHP) or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or who earn up to 200% of the federal poverty rate. That’s currently about $27,180 per year for an individual and $55,500 for a household of four. Participation grants unlimited rides on TriMet’s fixed-route buses and trains for 50% off the cost of a 2 ½ hour or full-day ride. It caps monthly costs for riding at $28 per month, a $72 discount off the cost of Adult fare.

Since TriMet began offering income-based reduced fare in 2018, more than 42,000 Oregonians have signed up to ride for less. Participants are required to re-submit documents verifying qualification in the program every two years. See if you qualify and find easy steps for verifying income and getting your personalized Honored Citizen Hop card at trimet.org/save.

TriMet Transit Assistance Pass: How it works

Starting in July of 2022, TriMet will grant a one month pass to every new and renewing participant in the program. Identified as the “TriMet Transit Assistance” pass, it will provide a month of rides across the system. The pass will be loaded into the participant’s personalized Hop Fastpass® account once they complete the enrollment process. 

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.

Unexpected, one-time Keep Oregon Moving funds available for use

The Keep Oregon Moving Act created the state’s first-ever stable source of funding for public transportation and helped establish TriMet’s low-income fare program. However, with fewer people riding during the COVID-19 pandemic, less funds set aside for the program were used. TriMet is taking advantage of the available funding to provide additional support for people struggling financially.

Over the next two years, TriMet will pilot expanded programs with the funding, which will be managed within our current Access Transit Fare Program. The new programs will provide additional resources for individuals who are low income and also part of a vulnerable rider group, such as seniors, veterans, college students and people experiencing disabilities. 

The free month pass for current and re-enrolling participants in TriMet’s reduced fare program based on income, is the second program to roll out this year. In May, we announced that a portion of the redirected funding would go toward expanding access to transit during summer months for high school-aged students at the 18 school districts within our tri-county district, which also participate in our Access Transit High School Program. 

Although these programs are short-term in nature and meant to serve as pilots to help inform future approaches and efforts, TriMet staff will be working with members of the Committee for Accessible Transportation (CAT), the Transit Equity Advisory Committee (TEAC) and others to explore new and different funding strategies that could be used to sustain and grow these efforts in the future.

Committed to equity

TriMet believes access to public transportation is access to opportunity, and we are committed to transit equity. 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, without regard to race, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability or income level. Learn more at trimet.org/equity.