Full Breakdown
TriMet Approves $64.5 Million Budget Cut, Cutting 170 Jobs and Reducing Bus Service
5/28/2026, 12:21:39 PM
Background and Funding Gap
TriMet faces a $300 million structural deficit and a failed payroll-tax increase. The Oregon Legislature did not pass a transportation package, and voters rejected Measure 120, a statewide transit-funding proposal. Rising costs and lost revenue forced the agency to seek deep cuts to preserve core service.
Financial Details and Service Changes
The FY 2027 budget will shrink by $64.5 million to $1.75 billion, allocating $53 million to administrative cuts and $11 million to service cuts. Staff will fall from 3,708 to 3,204, with 170 employees (?100 non-union, 70 union) slated for layoff after accounting for 140 vacant positions. Service changes affect 33 bus routes—eliminating two, combining others, and shortening the MAX Green Line—plus reduced call-center and Lost and Found hours.
Official Statements
General Manager Sam Desue Jr. called the shortfall “a challenging time … for the region” and said the agency must climb a “mountain” to keep transit reliable. A TriMet release called the plan a “historic staffing reduction” intended to avert a fiscal cliff and protect essential service.
Union Opposition
ATU President Bruce Hansen warned that cuts could stretch trips from 30 to 90 minutes when connections disappear. He argued TriMet could find savings elsewhere and urged the agency to explore alternatives before trimming service.
Conflicting Numbers on Layoffs
One source reports about 400 positions eliminated; another clarifies that only 170 employees will be laid off after accounting for vacant roles and reassignment options.
Impact on Riders
Reduced frequency and eliminated routes are expected to increase travel times, weaken network connectivity, and potentially lower ridership among transit-dependent communities.
Next Steps
Layoffs begin July 1, 2027; service changes start in August. TriMet will monitor ridership impacts and continue seeking legislative and voter support for future funding.
Verbatim Quotes
- “We have a mountain to climb, but never has our mission mattered more as the region needs a reliable and viable transit system to continue its recovery.” — Sam Desue Jr., General Manager, TriMet
- “One thing that TriMet hasn't looked at, and I've asked them to look at, is the impact not just to the service that they're reducing and eliminating, but the connections to those services as well, where they will extend service, you know, in between service, the amount of time that may extend for a commuter,” — Bruce Hansen, President, Amalgamated Transit Union
- “Among the positions not vacant, many of those workers are eligible to return to prior union positions, in accordance with the current Working and Wage Agreement,” — TriMet press release
- “TriMet, in calling the move a "historic staffing reduction," said it will eliminate about 400 positions, but 140 of those jobs are vacant.” — TriMet press release
