More people take public transportation in Portland than just about anywhere else in the country. TriMet says that could soon change, if the Legislature doesn’t approve transportation funding during the August special session.
In September 2024, TriMet offered 1.3 million rides a week. Numbers are down from pre-pandemic levels, but TriMet services remain essential to many in Portland.
Unless a transportation budget is passed in the upcoming special legislative session, Portland could lose 8% of its bus services by 2027 — one of the largest cuts in TriMet’s history. That would have serious consequences, especially for low-income riders who rely on less-used bus routes to get to places where the cost of living is often cheaper.
For many long-time TriMet riders, their daily commute offers a sense of community that they might not find elsewhere.
Miles Reynolds, 29, relies on two main bus routes to get from his home in downtown Portland to work in Southeast. He works nights and relies on TriMet’s frequent late-night routes to get home.
“It’s more feasible, especially living in the Northwest, for me not to have a car,” Reynolds said. “And don’t even get me started on the Timbers game nights and waiting for parking spots.”
But TriMet is facing a $300 million budget deficit. The agency announced an initial round of service cuts set to start in November. Those changes will happen regardless of any legislative action. But unless lawmakers approve additional funding later this month, TriMet said, more cuts will happen next year.
The November cuts will affect frequent evening and late-night services, along with service during all hours for eight other bus lines. Many of these cuts will disproportionately affect low-income and marginalized communities.
While TriMet has said it is committed to upholding its diversity, equity and inclusion standards, those programs could be affected. One such program is Viaje Mejor, a service aimed at providing Spanish language options for non-English speakers.
Verde, an environmental advocacy group in Oregon, fights for equitable public transportation across Portland.
Verde is rooted in the Cully neighborhood of Northeast Portland, a racially diverse area with a significant “Hispanic or Latino” population, according to city data. Cully deals with a lack of public service infrastructure — particularly for those who can’t or don’t drive, according to Indi Namkoong, Verde’s transportation justice coordinator.
“We’re sort of at the intersection of two streets in the high-crash corridor,” Namkoong said. “So, providing people with more and safer travel options is urgent.”
Future TriMet cuts will most likely affect Namkoong’s neighborhood, including the frequent use of line 72 along 82nd Avenue.
“I know this is a challenge we share with a lot of neighborhoods that are further east than us, like in Gresham and Rockwood,” Namkoong said.
According to the state, about 44% of households in Gresham are cost-burdened, compared to 30% of households in Portland. Making public transportation and low-cost travel options is essential for important tasks like commuting to work or attending essential appointments.
House Bill 2025, a robust transportation budget bill, failed to pass by the end of the 2025 legislative session. The bill would have secured funding and prevented further cuts to bus lines and services.
Gov. Tina Kotek is convening a special legislative session Aug. 29. Lawmakers will consider a bill to create a safety net for public transportation through a variety of measures, including increasing vehicle registration and fees and raising the gas tax by 6 cents per gallon. The exact amount of revenue this new bill would generate is uncertain. Still, it would be enough to fill the $350 million budget deficit that has led to these mass cuts in the Oregon Department of Transportation and TriMet.
Without that additional funding, TriMet says it will make more severe cuts in March 2026 and again in May 2026 through August 2027.
“It’s taking away something really vital for folks,” Namkoong said.
Lawmakers fail to pass transportation budget
ODOT’s budget comes from federal and state funds. It must be passed by the state Legislature every two years. The money is used to cover things like roads, public transportation, bike and pedestrian routes and railways.
ODOT gets about one-third of its transportation budget from federal funds, according to ODOT. The rest of the $6 billion two-year budget comes from the state, including state gas tax, vehicle registration fees and parking fees.
ODOT is currently facing a $354 million budget gap due to inflation, the rising cost of maintenance and labor, and the increased use of electric vehicles in Oregon, which has created a flatline in revenue from the gas tax.
HB 2025 would have generated $14.6 billion over 10 years to help ODOT close that gap. A part of the original bill, proposed by state Democrats, would have increased the state gas tax by 15 cents by 2028, costing Oregon drivers about an extra $66 a year.
The bill, introduced late in the legislative session, failed to pass primarily due to some Republican and Democratic lawmakers’ opposition to the proposed tax increases.
That left local transit organizations, already in a budget crisis, scrambling to make cuts. In a press release, TriMet announced $159 million in service cuts starting in November 2025. And unless it can secure an additional $48 million by 2027, the agency said it will need to make additional cuts.
If lawmakers again fail to pass a transportation budget during the special session starting Aug. 29, TriMet said it will have to make an 18% reduction in MAX light rail services, which would be the biggest cut in MAX history.
Portlanders love public transportation
About 15% of households in Portland do not own a vehicle, and a growing number of people are looking to alternative forms of transportation to get around.
Namkoong advocates for expansion in public transit funding and services.
For her, the issue is personal. She is among the growing number of Portland residents who have given up their cars.
“I sold my car a few years ago because rent was getting really pricey,” Namkoong said. “So now I rely on the bus and my e-bike and my feet to get pretty much anywhere I’m going.”
Namkoong works with constituents across Oregon, discussing the importance of public transportation and presenting their views to state officials.
She sees public transit funding as essential for communities in Portland.
“ Businesses and housing that get placed along transit lines really help activate neighborhoods,” Namkoong said. “During the 2008 recession, businesses located on more popular transit lines were able to weather the storm financially more effectively than those in other locations where you could only drive.”
Verde conducted a listening tour in 2024, visiting various communities and cities across Oregon, where over 1,000 testimonies were collected. According to Namkoong, the top issue during the tour was public transportation.
“ We were excited to see the level of enthusiasm that came out of communities across the state,” Namkoong said.
With such strong support from community members, Namkoong was hopeful that the transportation budget would be passed during the legislative session. She’s frustrated that didn’t happen.
“ I’m heartbroken that our transit agencies are going to be put into this position,” Namkoong said.
She believes public transportation may not be a top priority for some lawmakers who lack experience with it.
“I do think that affects the amount of education that community members and advocates need to do with our leaders about what these services are providing to people,” Namkoong said.
Rural communities could fall through the cracks
A 2023 TriMet study found that a majority of transit riders are low-income, with 83% of those surveyed holding or having applied for TriMet’s low-income card program. The low-income card program, introduced in 2018, helps those struggling to afford a TriMet pass.
Due to the budget deficit, TriMet will increase its low-income fare 10 cents by September 2028. This potential fare hike, along with service reductions, disproportionately affects low-income riders who rely heavily on affordable and accessible public transportation.
This could include the many who rely on less-used routes that connect to smaller transit agencies, such as those commuting to Sandy and Gresham, where the cost of living is cheaper than within Portland city limits.
“ I think it’s important to name that the gaps in our transportation system and our transit system are not equally distributed,” Namkoong said. “People with disabilities, rural families, people of color, lower-income people. We’re going to have the greatest need for affordable transportation.”
Reynolds, who identifies as Latino and is part of the LGBTQIA2S+ community, is a part of this group.
“I honestly have no idea what I would do,” Reynolds said. “I wouldn’t be able to afford Lyfts every night.”
Hope for TriMet’s future?
Maintaining a healthy and functioning public transportation system is a top priority for many in Portland and across Oregon. While some oppose increasing taxes to support the transportation budget, a majority of people in Portland support funding public transportation.
“There are all sorts of good reasons that we should be looking to a future where we’re really giving transit its flowers,” Namkoong said.
If the state can pass its transportation budget during the special session, it could mean that Spanish speakers, low-income families and neighborhoods like Cully would still have access to transit lines and services they count on. For Reynolds, it would mean, for now, he can continue relying on TriMet services.
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This article appears in August 27, 2025.