TriMet Budget Challenges and Choices
TriMet is implementing cost-cutting measures to avoid a fiscal cliff that would be devastating to our service, riders, employees and the regional economy.
TriMet is balancing our budget by bringing expenses in line with our financial resources.
Cost increases from inflation, a drop in fare revenue because of changes in ridership, less money from our other revenue streams and insufficient funding to sustain service levels are driving an ongoing budget deficit. By taking action now to resize our agency, streamline spending and balance our budget, we will preserve our core transit service to jobs, schools and other important destinations for generations to come.
Where we stand
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Current Budget Gap
As of April 22, 2026$245 million
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Current Fiscal Cliff
May 2029
What we are doing
Internal Spending Cuts
We are cutting internal spending - an effort that began in March 2025 and continues today. Spending on everything from travel to materials and contract services to staffing was cut by $17.7 million in 2025. More larger cost-cutting steps are coming in our fiscal year 2027, which begins July 1, 2026 and runs through June 30, 2027.
Staffing Reduction
We began resizing our agency in late 2025 through elimination of many open positions, a hiring freeze on non-mission critical jobs and some layoffs. As part of the internal spending cuts, we are preparing another staffing reduction in 2026.
2025 reductions:
- 68 open positions eliminated (52 non-union, 16 union)
- 26 layoffs, all non-union staff
Service Changes & Cuts
Our mission is to deliver safe, convenient, reliable and accessible transit service. Any cuts to our service are always our last resort, but we must reduce service levels by at least 10% by July 2028 to bring them in line with operating revenue and focus our service investment where it is needed and used most. Before reducing existing service and impacting riders, TriMet paused plans for future bus service increases, which had been budgeted for about $50 million.
November 2025
Reduced how often buses arrive on five lines during evening hours when fewer people are riding.
Learn more about November 2025 changes
March 2026
Reduced how often buses arrive on four lines during morning and/or evening hours when fewer people are riding.
Learn more about November 2025 changes
August 2026 (Planned)
Approved service cuts and changes planned for Aug. 23, 2026 affect 34 lines.
- Shorten the MAX Green Line to only operate between Gateway Transit Center and Clackamas Town Center.
- Make bus network changes to combine lines or reduce where lines overlap or run near others for system efficiency.
- Adjust several routes to maintain service in higher ridership areas and how often buses run at times when fewer people are riding will be reduced.
- Reduce frequency on four bus lines during times when fewer people are riding.
- Eliminate two bus lines due to very low ridership.
August 2027
We will be engaging riders and the public in fall 2026 about another round of service cuts and changes necessary in August 2027.
Learn the details about the changes
Fare Increase
We will propose a fare increase to take effect in the latter half of 2028. The exact amount of the fare increase and timing will depend on action by the TriMet Board. Despite raising the cost of fare, we will continue to have daily and monthly caps so those who ride more benefit the most. Our last fare increase came in 2024, and the upcoming proposed increase will help keep up with the growing cost of providing transit service.
Additional Funding
We must increase revenue to stop more service cuts. We are taking action with local, regional and state leaders to identify a sustainable funding source for transit. We also are working with the Oregon Congressional Delegation in Washington, D.C. to secure additional federal funding.
New Revenue Generation
We are pursuing all possible opportunities to generate new or additional revenue.
How we got here
Inflation has led to staggering increases in almost all the costs related to running our transit system. Costs jumped about 56% from 2019 through 2025, with prices skyrocketing for everything from tires to equipment to contracted services. TriMet’s fuel costs have also surged sharply in 2026, adding additional, unexpected costs as we work to address our budget deficit.
On the other side, our revenue is falling behind cost increases. The rise in remote work after the pandemic is keeping riders from returning, meaning less money coming in from fares. The office vacancy rate across the region and in Downtown Portland, the hub of our transit system, is at an historic high and foot traffic in the central city during weekdays remains well below 2019 levels. That reduced worker presence directly affects our transit ridership and fare revenue.
Adding to that is dropping payroll tax revenue growth due to the current economic climate in the Portland metro area and the state of Oregon. The state’s unemployment rate is the third highest in the nation. Other state and federal funding is also coming in under what we have forecasted.
TriMet had worked with the Oregon Legislature to include an increase in transit funding as part of an expected comprehensive transportation funding package during the 2025 regular session. While a temporary, two-year increase of 0.1% in the employee payroll tax that funds transit was included in the package passed during a special session in September 2025, it is now going to a public vote.
TriMet has been aware of the growing gap between our expenses and our revenue since ridership fell during the pandemic. Initially, to close the gap, we focused our efforts to bring riders back following the pandemic. We made historic investments in public safety and cleaning. We dedicated extensive resources on hiring operators and maintenance personnel — critical positions for reliable transit service. We also invested in changes to our bus network to respond to where people are living and working following the pandemic. Ridership increased year-over-year but the growth is slowing and remains lower than 2019 levels.
Now we must reduce spending to avoid more severe cuts down the road and keep our riders, our region and our economy moving.
TriMet Service Cuts
We’re adjusting service to to balance our budget.