TRIMET SERVICES CUTS IMPACT RIDERS

Including Mt. Hood Students

TriMet, the Portland metro area’s public transit agency, is facing a $300 million gap between expected revenues and expenses in the next few years.

The agency is trying to close that gap by cutting back some services and laying off employees to avoid more severe service cuts in the future. But the impact on many riders, including MHCC students, has already come.

“We are facing a fiscal cliff in 2030, so we must act now to balance our budget for the long term,” said TriMet General Manager Sam Desue Jr. in a formal agency statement.

“As Oregon’s largest public transit provider, we have a tremendous responsibility to keep people in our region moving. Cutting service now means avoiding sudden, catastrophic cuts in the future.”

The first phase of cuts began on Nov. 30, with some bus lines having fewer runs (meaning longer waits between buses) – including Line 81, which services MHCC.

They include:   

FX2-Division: buses will arrive every 24-35 minutes after 7 p.m. every day.

Line 35 (Macadam/Greeley), Line 52 (Farmington/185th), Line 77 (Broadway/Halsey), and Line 81 (Kane/257th): buses will arrive once an hour after 9 p.m.

TriMet said that these lines were chosen for cutbacks because they have low ridership in the evening and some lines are overlapping.

The agency offered several surveys and open houses during last months to gather rider input about these changes.

More than 5,000 transit users responded to a recent TriMet rider survey ranking possible service reductions. The community feedback will help guide what additional cuts might look like in 2026, TriMet said.

For students – such as myself – night-shift workers and people who reply on transit in the evening and late-night hours, these cuts will mean longer waits at the bus stops, fewer direct travel options and more planning needed for transportation after evening classes or work.

It will be more difficult to get home if I have evening classes or study at the library until 8 p.m.

More service cuts in 2026

Starting on March 1, more bus routes will face evening frequency reductions, including: Line 8 (Jackson Park/NE 15th Ave), Line 48 (Cornell), Line 75 (Cesar Chavez/Lombard) and Line 76 (Hall/Greenburg).

TriMet will release update schedules in January with the additional changes. Riders should check their regular bus line information carefully to understand how the new service hours could change. Look for changes under the “TriMet News” on the official website (TriMet.org), or find the information and notification signs at the line’s bus stops.

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ADJUSTED (Nov. 30):

FX2-Division: every 24-35 minutes after 7 p.m.

Lines 35, 77, 81: every once an hour after 9 p.m.

TO BE ADJUSTED (after Mar. 1):

Lines 8, 48, 75, 76