TriMet says the state legislature’s failure to pass a bill that would have funded transit means it will have to make significant service cuts over the next several years.
Portland’s TriMet transit agency announced it is preparing for a series of service cuts made necessary by the Oregon state legislature’s failure to pass House Bill 2025, which would have provided additional funding for transit.
According to Roberta Altstadt, writing for TriMet News, “The failure of HB2025 leaves many of Oregon’s transit agencies, including TriMet, without the sufficient funding needed to sustain service levels in the years ahead.”
The agency faces a projected $300 million budget gap, forcing it to reduce service starting in November. “We are committed to balancing our budget in three years, by July 1, 2028, meaning our expenditures will be equal or less than our revenues,” Altstadt writes.
The cuts will result in at least a 10 percent overall reduction in service by the end of August 2027. “Initially, service cuts will focus on reducing frequencies on some bus lines. Following that, TriMet will need to eliminate some bus lines, adjust some bus routes and adjust MAX service. Because of the changes to bus and MAX service, our LIFT paratransit service will also be reduced.”
The agency, which has seen its operating costs rise by 53 percent since 2019, is considering two options for increasing revenue: raising fares and increasing the STIF payroll tax. A fare increase of 20 cents for adults and 10 cents for reduced fares is already planned for fall 2028.
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