Portland's TriMet Making Plans to Get on the Electric Bus

Electric buses have arrived. Portland is only the latest example.

1 minute read

September 28, 2018, 9:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


"TriMet has a nearly $500 million plan to phase out its diesel buses [pdf] - significant emitters of carbon into the atmosphere -- while buying a new fleet of electric vehicles over the next 22 years," reports Andrew Theen.

The plan is made all the more ambitious by the fact that the agency currently has zero electric buses operating its fleet.

He benefit will be realized in the environment, according to Theen. "TriMet uses about 6 million gallons of diesel fuel every year, emitting about 57,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide into the region's air, according to its analysis. Diesel vehicles are a large contributor to carbon emissions, and freight traffic, school buses and other diesel-based industries also emit deadly exhaust in Portland's air."

TriMet isn't the only transit agency adding electric buses to its fleet. According to Theen, 38 transit agencies in the United States "have a battery electric bus in hand already or have ordered one," and China already has 400,000 electric buses. Accordign to a report by Bloomberg New Energy Finance and released in May, the world's bus transit systems will be 80 percent electric by 2040.

Saturday, September 15, 2018 in The Oregonian

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Close-up of front of blue locomotive with Amtrak logo.

What the US Intercity Rail System Could Look Like

An FRA study shows how new Amtrak lines could connect tens of millions more Americans to rail travel.

January 30, 2025 - Fast Company

The Seat of Government

Good Planning Under Bad Leadership

Planners must sometimes work under bad leadership. Here are suggestions for responsive planning in challenging political environments.

February 3, 2025 - Todd Litman

Amtrak train with downtown Seattle in background.

Amtrak Cascades Line Breaks Ridership Record

The route linking Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver, BC served nearly one million riders in 2024.

February 2, 2025 - Daily Hive

View of wooded area and homes in Altadena, California with hills and downtown Los Angeles, California in the distance.

Half of Altadena’s Black Homes Lost or Damaged in Eaton Fire

The community has higher Black homeownership rates than most of Los Angeles, but now faces an uncertain future as residents struggle to rebuild.

February 9 - The Guardian

Low view of person with vision impairment cane walking through crosswalk.

Making Autonomous Vehicles Safer for Blind Pedestrians

A team of researchers is developing a dataset to fill a critical gap in self-driving cars’ learning models.

February 9 - University of Maryland

Row of vehicles parked and plugged in at EV charging station.

Federal EV Charging Program Suspended

The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program planned to fund the construction of hundreds of EV charging stations across the country.

February 9 - Wired

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.