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Home : About TriMet : Sustainability : Dirty Words

Dirty Words

Here at TriMet, we like to keep it clean. In fact, there are a few "dirty" words we'd like to remove from our civic vocabulary entirely. Here's what we're doing about it.

Greenhouse gas icon

Greenhouse Gas

 Pollution icon

Pollution
Waste icon

Waste

 Inefficiency icon

Inefficiency
Congestion icon

Congestion

 

 

 

image of two animated cars watching tv on a couchGreenhouse Gas

Cars are the single largest contributor of greenhouse gases to our region’s ecosystem. Fortunately, TriMet eliminates more than 200,000 of those car trips every day. And leaving those cars at home keeps 600 metric tons of GHG emissions out of our atmosphere every day.

FACT 1

Thanks to our trusty team of mechanics who've reduced idling times, adjusted transmissions and optimized tire pressure, the fuel economy of our buses has risen more than 7.5% since 2000.

FACT 2

TriMet buses run on a cleaner-burning, climate-friendly biodiesel blend made from vegetable oil and fats.

FACT 3

For each mile you ride TriMet, you emit 53% less carbon than if you drove that mile alone.

 

image of busPollution

Thanks to a new cooling system inspired by NASCAR, TriMet buses use less engine power, garnering better fuel economy and thus generating less pollution.

FACT 1

By retrofitting older buses with high-tech filters, eliminating 90% of their emissions, our old buses now run as clean as brand new ones.

FACT 2

4.2 tons of smog-forming pollutants are avoided every day by leaving our cars at home and riding TriMet.

FACT 3

We've eliminated 99.7% of stinky sulfur emissions from our fleet since 1997, thanks to the use of ultra-low-sulfur diesel.

 

Trimet logo characterized as a bride partnering with a recycle logo characterized as a groomWaste

We reuse or recycle virtually everything we can from our facilities: oil, antifreeze, batteries, paint, nuts and bolts, light bulbs, windshields... even bus shelter glass.

FACT 1

By installing bioswales and greenscaping around MAX stations and rail lines, including tens of thousands of new trees and shrubs, we're able to capture storm runoff and keep pollutants out of our rivers and sewer systems.

FACT 2

TriMet has used thousands of recycled plastic railroad ties in building new light rail lines. Where did the plastic come from originally? Appropriately enough, the gas tanks of cars.

FACT 3

We retread our bus tires several times before finally recycling them.

 

image of a car overstuffed with peopleInefficiency

You'd have to stuff 9.5 people into a car to get the same fuel economy as a commuter on a TriMet bus.

FACT 1

Installing energy-efficient lighting throughout our facilities, platforms, stations and parking lots saves over $340,000 a year. In fact, it paid for itself in 6 months.

FACT 2

By using regenerative braking, many of our MAX trains reduce their energy consumption by over 20% for each mile traveled.

FACT 3

Living  with one less car and using TriMet instead can save the average (Portland area) household more than $9,500 a year.*

* Source: American Public Transportation Association apta.com

 

image of a bus with 4 floorsCongestion

TriMet ridership has grown for 20 consecutive years. In 2008 alone, residents boarded TriMet more than 99 million times.

FACT 1

Westside MAX alone carries the equivalent of 2.4 extra lanes of car traffic, eliminating all that added congestion. As a matter of fact, MAX carries 26% of the evening rush-hour commute east and west.

FACT 2

Portland is the 23rd largest metro area in the US, but our transit ridership is 7th per capita. In fact, more people ride TriMet than any other transit system our size.*

FACT 3

Portland's population has grown 20% in the past 10 years, but TriMet ridership has grown a whopping 45%.

* Source: Federal Transit Administration, Top Transit Cities XLS