Getting That Bussy: TriMet Explained for New Reedies

Each fall, a new class of Reedies experience the autonomy of living on their own for the first time. A critical part of this autonomy is mobility, which the vast majority of American students know only through the private automobile, but Reedies are not condemned to be serfs to the automotive and oil industries if they want to get around the Portland metropolitan area. Portland has a robust public transportation system by the standards of an American city of its size, and per capita transit ridership rivalling much larger cities like Los Angeles, although it still falls short of traditional US transit powerhouses like New York City and Washington, DC, and has seen decreased ridership since 2020. The Portland metropolitan area’s regional public transportation authority is TriMet, which provides bus, light rail, commuter rail, and paratransit service throughout Oregon’s Multnomah, Clackamas, and Washington counties TriMet additionally operates the Portland Streetcar, which is ultimately managed by the city. This brief practical introduction to TriMet will summarize the service that the agency provides, explain Reed’s transit connectivity, and share resources provided by the College for students to use public transportation. 

TriMet runs 79 bus lines, five light rail lines, and one commuter rail line, collectively serving more than 180,000 daily riders. Reed is directly served by three bus lines, with light rail a 15-minute walk or five-minute bus ride from campus. Reedies can access major destinations via public transit, including, but not limited to, Portland International Airport, Portland Union Station, downtown Portland, OHSU Aerial Tram terminal, and Washington Park, as well as innumerable Portland neighborhoods both near and far The TriMet service area also extends to Portland suburbs such as Gresham, Beaverton, Milwaukie, Oak Grove, and Hillsboro. 

The southern edge of campus along SE Woodstock Blvd is serviced by the Line 19-Woodstock/Glisan bus, which runs every 30 minutes and connects Reed to the SE Bybee St. MAX Orange Line station, Sellwood-Moreland, Brooklyn, OMSI, OHSU, downtown Portland, Woodstock and the SE Flavel St. MAX Green Line station. 

The eastern edge of campus is serviced by the Line 75-Cesar Chavez/Lombard bus running 15-minute or less headways throughout the day, which connects Reed to major commercial areas on SE Powell Blvd, SE Division St, SE Hawthorne Blvd, SE Belmont Ave, SE Stark St, E Burnside Ave, and more across east Portland. The 75 is an exception to the downtown-centricity of Portland’s public transit system and sees strong ridership as a result. It is also the first leg of your ride to the airport if you want to transfer to the MAX Red Line at Hollywood. I use the 75 to commute between Reed and my off-campus apartment near the Powell/Chavez intersection.

The northern edge of campus is serviced by the Line 10-Harold St bus, which runs an awkward schedule, with service up to every five minutes at peak hours but averaging closer to every 45 minutes throughout the day. This line connects Reed to Division/Clinton, Ladd’s Addition, Central Eastside, Foster-Powell, and the Jade District. 

The MAX Orange Line provides a light rail connection between the Reed area and downtown or North Portland northbound and Milwaukie southbound. Like all MAX lines, the Orange Line runs on 15-minute headways. The closest station to Reed is on SE Bybee Blvd. Due to its remote location nestled between a golf course and low-density residential neighborhood, the Bybee Blvd station is the second least-used station on the entire MAX network, but it can be accessed faster by timing a transfer via the 19 or biking (TriMet encourages cycling connections on all its services and offers space to stow bikes). The Orange and Yellow Lines are functionally a single line, with the designation of trains changing downtown; you do not need to change trains if you are boarding an Orange Line train heading to a Yellow Line stop or vice versa. If and when the Interstate Bridge Replacement Project concludes, the Yellow Line will be extended from its current terminus in North Portland to Vancouver, Washington, with 7.5-minute headways.

Timetables for all TriMet services are available online and at transit stops, although your preferred digital map likely has a transit mode that will let you view the real-time arrival data shared on trimet.org. TriMet’s on-time performance is generally good. Light rail trains and streetcars always stop at all stations on their routes, while buses will only stop if the driver sees someone waiting or if a passenger requests to disembark by pulling one of the yellow wires running along the windows.

TriMet utilizes a capped fare system, meaning riders can ride an unlimited amount upon paying a certain maximum amount in a given period. The default adult fare is $2.80 for two and a half hours of unlimited rides. Once that window expires, paying a second time earns you a day pass, meaning your fare is capped out and you may ride an unlimited amount for the remainder of the calendar day. After paying $100 in a month, you earn unlimited rides for the rest of the calendar month. TriMet fare is also good on the Portland Streetcar and most of the C-Tran bus network which services Clark County, Washington. 

Youth, low-income, and senior fare is half the default adult fare on TriMet. Tapping a credit or debit card will charge you the adult fare, so if you qualify for a reduced fare, be sure to get a Hop Card through the Reed Bookstore, one of the fare vending machines typically found at light rail stops, the Reed Business Office, or the Hop Fastpass app on your phone. Reed will subsidize half the cost of the $100 monthly adult pass, so you pay $50 at the Business Office kiosk. If you qualify for an Honored Citizen pass, Reed will pay the full amount. Eligibility for an Honored Citizen pass is based either on your household income or independent qualification for other state and federal assistance programs. View full details on reed.edu/business/cashier-and-other-services/trimet.

Fare enforcement is conducted by TriMet security officers at random. Fare evasion is not a criminal offense and citations are resolved directly through TriMet by paying a fine or doing community service. If you qualify for an Honored Citizen pass but do not already have one, and receive a citation, you can get out of it by enrolling within 90 days and loading at least $10 onto a Hop Card. The TriMet website also notes that when an inspector checks your fare, “you are not being detained in any legal sense,” so if you get caught with no fare and want to avoid a citation your best bet is to get off at the next stop without identifying yourself. However, the website also cautions that if an actual police officer is nearby and sees you do this, they may consider it probable cause to stop you. The Portland State University Criminal Justice Research Institute regularly audits TriMet’s fare enforcement practices for potential bias.

TriMet is currently facing a $300 million deficit due in part to the Oregon legislature’s failure to pass a transportation funding bill during the 2025 legislative session. 10% of TriMet’s current service is expected to be cut by August 2027. If you work on-campus, you will see that 0.1% of your gross pay goes to public transportation, but TriMet and the union representing its employees both believe that the tax needs to be raised to at least 0.36% for them to continue offering the current level of service and avoid layoffs. The Oregon Legislature meets for a special session on August 29, but TriMet has said it is already too late to avoid an initial round of cuts in November. How the cuts will affect Reed remains to be seen, but in the meantime, showing TriMet that there is demand for the services it provides in the Reed vicinity is a good way to reduce the likelihood of those services being reduced or eliminated.