Cutting Bus and MAX Service Due to a Budget Shortfall
Since 2019, we’ve faced staggering cost increases in almost everything related to running the transit system, including labor, vehicles, facilities, contractors, equipment and software.
After the Oregon Legislature failed to pass House Bill 2025, and due to our significant and growing budget gap, we will begin reducing service in November 2025. More cuts are being planned for March 2026 and after, with at least a 10% overall cut to service expected by August 2027.
Reserves have helped us maintain our service over the last few years, but we must take action now to close a $300 million gap between our annual expenditures and revenues and avoid more severe service cuts down the road.
We’ve already begun cutting costs internally, and that will continue. But unfortunately, cuts to our transit service and reductions to our staffing levels are unavoidable. Without increased state funding for transit, these service reductions will become even more severe.
We’re taking these changes very seriously and understand it will affect many of you. We’ll continue to update you and bring you into the conversation.
Service cuts
Initially, service cuts will focus on reducing frequencies on some bus lines. Following that, we’ll need to eliminate some bus lines, adjust some bus routes and adjust MAX service.
If we’re unsuccessful in increasing our revenue by fall 2027, more service cuts will be needed.
November 2025
We’ll reduce service on November 30, 2025, by cutting the frequency, or how often buses run, on the following:
- Some Frequent Service lines during evenings and mornings
- FX2-Division bus line at night
- Up to eight other bus lines during all service hours
March 2026
We’ll need to make additional service cuts, effective March 1, 2026. We will be engaging our riders this fall to discuss these cuts, but proposed cuts would include:
- Eliminating some low ridership bus lines
- Eliminating evening service on lower ridership bus lines
- Changing routes on some bus lines to increase efficiency
- Reducing the MAX Green Line route. Green Line trains would only serve stations between Clackamas Town Center and Gateway Transit Center. Riders would need to transfer to other trains at Gateway Transit Center.
May 2026 through August 2027
Further service cuts will be required between May 2026 and August 2027, to reach the needed 10% service reduction. Without an increase in revenue, we’ll have to cut additional service above that 10% to balance our budget.
These service reductions will likely include:
- Additional cuts to frequency on at least a dozen bus lines
- Eliminating other bus lines or portions of lines
- Reducing the frequency on all MAX lines during some parts of the day
The anticipated service cuts laid out above add up to about an 18% overall reduction in MAX service — the largest cut to MAX in its history — and about an 8% reduction in bus service — the third largest cut since at least 1986.
Speak up for transit
Contact your state representative and let them know your thoughts on this issue.
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