Portland, Ore., mayor wants to give free public transit passes to all city workers

By Shane Dixon Kavanaugh | OregonLive.com (TNS)

PORTLAND, ORE. — Mayor Keith Wilson is looking to provide a new perk for city employees — free public transit.

Wilson’s proposal, scheduled to go before the City Council on Wednesday, would offer TriMet passes to all of Portland’s 9,000 full-time, part-time and seasonal workers for at least the next year, according to a copy of the ordinance.

Billed as a pilot program, the benefit would cost the city about $495,000 through the end of next August under an agreement with the transit agency, documents show.

The effort comes ahead of a scheduled five-week shutdown of southbound Interstate 5 at the Rose Quarter that is expected to cause severe commuting delays, and a week after TriMet implemented sweeping service cuts due to the agency’s ongoing financial woes.

Portland for years has offered employees discounted transit passes and other financial incentives as a way to encourage fewer people to drive to work. A 2024 survey of city workers by the Portland Bureau of Transportation found that nearly 25% of participants said they took public transit, 20% walked or rode bikes and 45% primarily used their car.

About 500 employees are enrolled in Portland’s existing transit discount program, according to the city.

Wilson, who ran a fossil-fuel-free trucking company before entering elected office, has long been a mass transit booster and continues to serve on a national group that advocates for high-speed rail.

He has also promoted public transit and cycling as ways for Portlanders to help reduce the city’s carbon footprint.

It is not uncommon for local governments to provide free or subsidized transit passes for their employees. For example, Multnomah County has covered the entire cost of employee TriMet passes for more than a decade.

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