TriMet to cut service on 10 routes, including new rapid transit bus line

By Jayati Ramakrishnan, OregonLive

TriMet will make another round of service cuts as it continues to struggle with a bus driver shortage.

The transit agency announced that, starting Sept. 18, it will cut service for 10 bus lines, as well as its FX rapid bus line that’s not yet in operation.

TriMet said in a news release that it would prioritize keeping regular service on its routes with high concentrations of low-income riders and communities of color. The agency said most of the lines that will have reduced service already see low ridership.

Two bus lines will be canceled altogether: the 50-Cedar Mill and the 92-South Beaverton express. A handful of others will cut extra trips that they were making during the rush hour or to accommodate physical distancing during the pandemic.

And TriMet’s FX line that will run along Southeast Division Street will see less frequent service than planned.

Buses will run every 12 minutes for the majority of the day as promised, said TriMet spokesperson Tyler Graf. But the line was also supposed to have extra buses during morning and afternoon commutes.

Because of the driver shortage, he said, there will only be one extra bus in the morning and one in the afternoon until the agency can hire more drivers.

The express line, which replaces the Line 2 bus, is expected to reduce travel times for riders by 20%, and larger buses will increase transit capacity in the corridor between downtown Portland and Gresham.

TriMet made a round of service cuts in January because of short staffing but in the months since has nonetheless had to cancel trips nearly every day. Data provided by TriMet in mid-May showed that the agency had canceled nearly 900 bus trips over the month prior, as well as just under 100 MAX train trips.

The agency has ramped up efforts to recruit new drivers with hiring bonuses and increased hourly wages. It has held job fairs and recruited at military bases, which it had never done before, to try and find new applicants.

TriMet has attributed the shortage to a combination of factors including increased safety concerns — both from the pandemic and a sharp rise in aggressive or violent passengers — and competition from other transit and delivery services that recruit commercial driver license holders. The union that represents most TriMet workers has said high-stress conditions have led to burnout among drivers, and that the agency needs to focus on retention as well as recruiting.

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