Oregon Transit District Suspends Service Indefinitely

Facing a budget deficit, the Sunset Empire Transportation District ended its services on Sunday, leaving transit-dependent riders with few options.

1 minute read

May 2, 2023, 10:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Oregon’s Sunset Empire Transportation District, which provides transit service to Clatsop County and between Astoria and Portland, suspended service last weekend as the agency struggles with a massive financial shortfall. As Ethan Myers reports for The Astorian in an article republished in Mass Transit, “The transit district's board voted unanimously on Thursday afternoon to discontinue operations indefinitely and furlough employees.”

“The message is we will not be offering any public transportation services effective Saturday due to the financial situation that we're in. We will get it restarted as soon as we have a financial package in place. And we'll get the process to restart up and running as soon as possible,” said executive director Jeff Hazen.

The loss of service will likely have a significant negative impact on local residents, many of whom used the system to get to work, run errands, and access medical appointments. According to Hazen, ridership rose by 11 percent this year.

Friday, April 28, 2023 in Mass Transit

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

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 2, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

White and purple sign for Slow Street in San Francisco, California with people crossing crosswalk.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths

Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

July 1, 2025 - KQED

Blue tarps covering tents set up by unhoused people along chain link fence on concrete sidewalk.

Study: Anti-Homelessness Laws Don’t Work

Research shows that punitive measures that criminalized unhoused people don’t help reduce homelessness.

45 minutes ago - Next City

Aerial tram moving along cable in hilly area in Medellin, Colombia.

In U.S., Urban Gondolas Face Uphill Battle

Cities in Latin America and Europe have embraced aerial transitways — AKA gondolas — as sustainable, convenient urban transport, especially in tricky geographies. American cities have yet to catch up.

2 hours ago - InTransition Magazine

Row of older brick houses in Detroit with front porches and front lawns.

Detroit Says Problems With Property Tax Assessments are Fixed. Advocates Disagree.

With higher-valued properties under assessed and lower-valued properties over assessed, advocates say there's still a problem with Detroit's property tax system.

4 hours ago - Shelterforce Magazine