Service Cuts and Changes

TriMet is facing a financial crisis and must take action now to balance our budget and avoid impacts that would be disastrous for our transit service and the region.

Learn about the bus and MAX service changes effective Sunday, August 23, 2026

We are cutting spending to bring it in line with our resources. Most of the cuts have been to internal spending, including staff reductions. However, because operations make up the bulk of our expenses, we must also cut service by at least 10% by July 2028.

Cutting service is not something we want to do — it is something we have to do. Costs for operating public transit increased an average of 56% between 2019 and 2025, and continue to rise in 2026, with revenues not keeping up with the increases.

This fall, we will conduct community outreach on additional service cuts and changes that will be proposed for summer 2027.

 

TriMet Budget Challenges and Choices

We’re taking action now to maintain our core transit service for generations to come.

What we’re doing to ensure long-term financial stability

 

Service Reductions

August 2027

Line 63 will be reduced to only high school commute times and the route will only run between Lincoln High School and Washington Park beginning in August 2027. We’re working on other proposed service cuts and changes that would take effect at that time. We will begin engaging riders and the public about those in fall 2026.

August 2026

We will implement changes to 34 lines, including eliminating two bus lines and other cuts and route adjustments for network efficiency. Among them, we are   shortening the MAX Green Line and combining bus lines or reducing where lines run near others and moving lines to maintain as much service in areas and at times when more people ride.

March 2026

We reduced how often buses arrived on four bus lines during morning and evening hours when ridership was lower. Learn more about March 2026 service changes.

November 2025

We reduced how often buses arrived on five bus lines during night hours when ridership was lower. Learn more about November 2025 service changes

Community Engagement

Winter 2026 outreach

In January 2026, we proposed changes to 35 bus lines and the MAX Green Line. Our Service Cut Proposal Feedback Survey, shared online and through 16 virtual and in-person open houses, received 8,138 responses.

What we heard:

  • Line 19: Concerns about the elimination of this line related to losing access to medical facilities, disability programs and senior housing
  • MAX Green Line: Concerns about and changes to the line and transfer reliability
  • Peak/Reduced Service: Impacts on geographically-isolated areas, including lines 16, 34, 38, 44, 76, 96 and 97.
  • General: Concerns regarding commute times, accessibility and longer trips.

We adjusted service proposals affecting 12 bus lines based on what we heard. This included keeping Line 19 service along Northeast Glisan and combining it with the Line 58 route.

Fall 2025 outreach

In fall 2025, 4,806 people responded to our Service Priorities Survey to share thoughts on what our priorities should be as we reduce service to align spending with our operating revenues. We also took comments through 13 virtual and in-person open houses.

What we heard:

  • Preserve service as much as possible by first reducing where buses and trains run on the same route or close together
  • Keep Frequent Service lines that make our service convenient and reliable
  • Maintain transit to reach critical destinations like medical care and schools

That feedback, as well as ridership data, level of impact on riders and jobs and cost-savings informed the proposed service cuts and changes released in January 2026.

Timeline

  • Comment Period
    Jan. 5–31
  • Board Listening Session
    March 18
  • First Reading/Public Hearing
    March 25
  • Second-Reading/Board Vote
    April 22
  • Board Vote
    May 27
  • Service Cuts
    August 23

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Outreach for future service cuts is expected in late September through mid October.