TriMet News

commuter

  • (VIDEO) TriMet connects communities, commuters on Line 40

    (VIDEO) TriMet connects communities, commuters on Line 40

    New bus line, with weekly ridership over 5,000, runs from Sellwood to Swan Island

    Image of a Line 40 bus with the header "Via Portland City Center" and Portland's docks in the background.

    TriMet rolled out new bus lines in 2024, as we continue to implement our Forward Together service concept.

    The most popular of these new lines, so far? Line 40-Tacoma/Swan Island, with service connecting Portland City Center to the Sellwood neighborhood in Southeast Portland and the Swan Island industrial area in North Portland.

    Line 40 replaced service on two lesser-used bus lines (85 and 99). It serves commuters from early in the morning to late at night, improves connections for riders, and connects some of Portland’s most iconic neighborhoods.

    Since Line 40 began serving riders in August 2024, it has averaged over 5,000 weekly rides. Ridership has grown as people get to know the new line!

    Community support

    The new Line 40 was created with the support of the Sellwood-Moreland Improvement League (SMILE), one of Portland’s neighborhood associations.

    “We’re not just a suburban neighborhood,” explains Grant Huling, who chairs SMILE’s Transportation Committee. “We have a mix of renters and owners, apartments and single-family and townhomes, which we’re proud of and really creates our character.”

    Huling adds: “The perennial transit issue for Sellwood and Moreland is that we’re bisected by Tacoma Street, which is what feeds onto the Sellwood Bridge.”

    Line 40 provides reliable service across the Sellwood Bridge, seven days a week. Residents can leave their cars at home, or at the SE Tacoma/Johnson Creek Park & Ride, and take the bus across the bridge instead. That means less traffic — and more opportunities for people in the community.

    “Having a bus that actually goes over the bridge consistently and not just during rush hour is super-helpful to me,” says community member Frankie Spurbeck.

    Spurbeck has been riding the Line 40 nearly every week since it started service. They take the bus to travel between neighborhoods and visit friends on the other side of the Willamette River.

    Convenience and connectivity

    Spurbeck says they’ve been amazed by how fast and easy it is to take the new Line 40. The line has reduced the time it takes them to travel between the South Waterfront and Sellwood to mere minutes.

    “It’s ridiculous how quickly I can get around with it,” Spurbeck says. “I think it rocks.”

    Huling describes Line 40 as “a true commuter-reliable line.” The line serves largely residential neighborhoods like Sellwood, as well as employment areas like Swan Island, connecting jobs and homes. On weekdays, Line 40 runs about every half-hour, from 5 a.m. until after midnight, using a shortened route late at night.

    Line 40 connects with all five of TriMet’s MAX lines: the MAX Orange Line at SE Tacoma/Johnson Creek, and the MAX Blue, Green, Red and Yellow lines at the Rose Quarter Transit Center. Riders can also transfer between Line 40 and other bus lines, as well as MAX and the Portland Streetcar, on the Transit Mall.

    It’s easy to plan your trip at trimet.org, including transfers.

    Meeting people where they live

    Huling and Spurbeck see people from all walks of life using the new Line 40. Workers take Line 40 north to jobs in the Swan Island industrial area. Students ride Line 40, too, with stops at Portland State University. Students and commuters alike can also ride Line 40 to Oregon Health & Science University. The line connects to Marquam Hill via the Portland Aerial Tram.

    “It’s a way to make the city more livable for people who don’t have cars, and an easier place to live,” says Spurbeck, who doesn’t own a car and prefers to take TriMet.

    “The only option to maintain that character of a small, tightknit city with neighborhoods is to not double down on cars,” adds Huling.

    As an advocate for Line 40 and other bus service improvements, Huling appreciates that Portland has sought to preserve neighborhoods like Sellwood, investing in transit and multimodal transportation rather than widening roads.

    “We have a pretty light roadway footprint here, and that enables everything else you love about Portland,” Huling says. “The less gray, the more green.”

    Forward Together

    The new Line 40 was developed with community input through Forward Together.

    TriMet is revamping bus service with Forward Together. We’ve enlisted the help of community members and leaders in this effort. Public feedback helps to shape our service! Our goal is to increase ridership and create a better bus system — especially for people with low and limited incomes. Line 40 is a cornerstone of that improved network.

    SMILE gives TriMet credit for listening to the community’s wishes and working with residents to create a line that meets their needs.

    “TriMet stepped up,” Huling says.

    TriMet will roll out additional service improvements on Sunday, March 2. The improvements include new routes for Line 6-Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd and Line 47-Main/Evergreen. Stay tuned for more news on improvements to come later this year!

  • More buses, better connections on TriMet for workers

    More buses, better connections on TriMet for workers

    March 2 brings upgrades for 10 bus lines, along with adjustments to schedules, stop locations

    Image of a TriMet bus serving Line 70-12th/NE 33rd Ave.

    Does rush-hour traffic get you down? Leave your car behind and take the bus to work!

    TriMet is adding new service to employment centers in Hillsboro and North Portland on Sunday, March 2. We’re improving several bus lines to better serve riders’ needs, especially those who count on TriMet to get to and from jobs and classes.

    We’re also improving two of our new bus lines running in place of MAX late at night, providing more late-night service to the Portland International Airport.

    Plan your trip now at trimet.org! Be sure to set the date in the trip planner to March 2 or later.

    Improving TriMet’s bus service

    We’re improving service on 10 bus lines starting March 2.

    Some buses on Line 6-Martin Luther King Jr Blvd will now serve Amazon facilities in North Portland. Buses on Line 6 will alternate between a route that serves Northeast Vancouver Way and a route along North Schmeer Road, between Northeast Gertz Road and the Delta Park/Vanport MAX Station.

    Line 47-Main/Evergreen will serve a new route with stops at Intel’s Ronler Acres campus and the Willow Creek Transit Center in Hillsboro. This improvement connects Line 47 riders to the MAX Blue and Red lines and additional bus lines at Willow Creek. It also provides direct service to one of the region’s largest employment centers.

    The new route means Line 47 will no longer serve Northwest Bronson Road, 174th Avenue and Laidlaw Road, due to low ridership. However, we’re adding more trips on Line 67-Bethany/158th, both earlier in the morning and later in the evening on weekdays, so we can better serve riders in the Bethany area. Line 67 will continue to provide TriMet bus service to the Portland Community College Rock Creek Campus.

    We’re also adding more buses on these Frequent Service lines:

    Riders of Line 70-12th/NE 33rd Ave will also see more weekday morning service.

    We’re improving service on Line 287-Blue Eastside Bus and Line 292-Red Bus as well. These lines are among TriMet’s newest bus lines. We rolled them out last August to provide late-night service in place of MAX trains, giving maintenance crews more time to work on the MAX light rail system overnight. We’re adding buses on these two lines to better address our riders’ needs.

    Additionally, we’re adjusting some bus stop locations at Clackamas Community College, the Parkrose Transit Center and the Willow Creek Transit Center to improve connections.

    You can find more information and updated schedules at trimet.org/servicechange.

    Schedule adjustments

    We periodically adjust bus schedules to make it easier for riders to make connections and get where they’re going on time.

    Starting March 2, we’re moving some bus arrival times by 6 minutes or more on the following lines:

    Two morning trips on Line 8-Jackson Park/NE 15th that only run between Downtown Portland and Marquam Hill will be discontinued due to low use.

    If you ride one or more of these bus lines, be sure to check trimet.org and plan your trip! Set the date for March 2 or later to find the best travel option for you.

    Improving service with Forward Together

    The March 2 service improvements are part of TriMet’s Forward Together service concept, developed with the community. Through Forward Together, we’re revamping our bus service throughout the region to make bus better, especially for people with low and limited incomes. Many people rely on TriMet to access opportunities and meet their essential needs. We provide tens of thousands of rides to work, school, health care and other services every day.

  • Coming soon: More opportunities to access jobs, schools and services with TriMet

    Aug. 25 service improvements will get TriMet riders where they need to go, when they need to be there

    TriMet Line 29 bus serves Lake Road Health Center.

    TriMet is preparing to roll out our latest round of Forward Together service improvements on Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024.

    These improvements include upgrades both large and small that will help connect riders to vital opportunities: jobs, schools, health care and more. Riders will experience these benefits in all three counties we serve!

    Welcoming Line 40!

    Starting Aug. 25, catch the new Line 40-Tacoma/Swan Island, with service to Swan Island, Rose Quarter, Downtown Portland and Southeast Portland.

    This new line connects with the MAX Orange Line at the SE Tacoma St/Johnson Creek MAX Station, and with the MAX Blue, Green, Red and Yellow lines at the Rose Quarter Transit Center.

    We’ve designed this line with workers in mind. It will run on all days, with buses arriving twice every hour for much of the day.

    Our Forward Together service concept focuses on increasing ridership and making bus service more convenient and accessible for more people, especially those who rely on transit — including commuters. That means more direct bus connections between home and work.

    With Line 40, workers will have a one-seat ride from neighborhoods like South Waterfront and Sellwood to their jobs at Swan Island or elsewhere along the line, including in Portland City Center.

    With the new line providing service in place of lesser-used bus lines, TriMet will discontinue lines 85 and 99. Riders will still be served by other bus lines as well as Line 40.

    Extending Line 25!

    TriMet’s public outreach process is a crucial component of Forward Together. To make the most informed decisions about where to prioritize new bus service, and how to increase ridership, we need to hear from the communities we serve.

    For example, in Multnomah County, school communities at Reynolds High School and Mt. Hood Community College asked for more service, including a direct connection to MAX. And TriMet has answered!

    We are extending Line 25, which is getting a name update as well: Line 25-Glisan/Troutdale Rd. As its new name suggests, Line 25 will run farther east to serve Troutdale. Buses will also arrive about every 30 minutes, and they’ll run every day.

    Line 25 will have stops at Reynolds High School and Mt. Hood Community College. It will also take riders to other community destinations, including the Troutdale Library, the Troutdale Post Office, and retail and recreation areas.

    Riders will be able to take Line 25 from Troutdale and Gresham to the Gateway/NE 99th Ave Transit Center in Northeast Portland, where they can connect with the MAX Blue, Green and Red lines.

    Upgrading Line 29!

    TriMet is also working with community partners as we roll out more Forward Together service benefits. One of those partners is Clackamas County, which recently opened the Lake Road Health Center. Its campus on Southeast Lake Road is the new home of Clackamas County’s behavioral health clinics.

    Line 29-Lake/Webster Rd serves workers at the many businesses along Lake Road and nearby areas. We’re adding midday buses so Line 29 now runs throughout the day, Monday through Friday. Buses will arrive every hour.

    This schedule expansion benefits patients at the Lake Road Health Center, workers at local employers like Bob’s Red Mill and Unified Grocers, and students at Milwaukie High School, among others.

    Expanded service on Line 29 also improves connections with the MAX Green and Orange lines and more bus lines in North Clackamas County, including Line 34-Linwood/River Rd, which we’re extending to better serve the community.

    Adjusting bus schedules

    More than three-quarters of TriMet’s bus lines serve at least one high school, college or university campus. TriMet works with schools to get students where they need to go, when they need to be there.

    Across our service area, we’re adjusting bus schedules by up to 5 minutes to better serve morning school bell times, including:

    In addition, we’ve designed the new schedule for the extended Line 25-Glisan/Troutdale Rd to align with bell times at Reynolds High School in the Reynolds School District.

    Read more about the coming service improvements at trimet.org/servicechange.