TriMet to advance service cuts, staffing reduction in the face of a budget deficit

TriMet says it’s working to make major spending cuts and a staffing reduction beginning July 1, 2026. The agency says it is taking action to address an annual budget deficit and preserve core transit service for riders and the region, even as it is facing rising costs.

The TriMet Board of Directors adopted the agency’s fiscal year (FY) 2027 budget on May 27, 2026. The agency says that most of the actions directed in the budget streamline its overall spending by about $64.5 million, reflecting about $53 million in administrative spending cuts and about $11 million in service cuts.

The FY27 adopted budget totals $1.75 billion, with $1.14 billion available for service, operations, capital/maintenance projects and other requirements. The agency notes that the budget relies on $127 million in reserve funds to close the gap between expenses and revenues.

TriMet first announced a $300 million structural budget deficit in July 2025. Despite internal spending cuts, a staffing reduction in fall 2025 and the pausing of planned bus service that led to a total of about $150 million in savings, the agency says the deficit grew faster than it could reduce it.

The agency says that’s because the costs of operating public transit continue to rise, including sharp increases this year—revenue is not keeping up with those increases.

“We at TriMet have made historic investments in security, cleaning and promoting service to increase ridership, but we must now resize our agency to reflect our current financial reality,” said TriMet General Manager Sam Desue Jr.

TriMet says its long-term budget deficit currently stands at $224 million and includes the board-approved service cuts for later this year. The agency says its fiscal cliff, when it will be out of the money necessary to provide service, is forecast for May 2029. Further budget and personnel reductions that will assist in reducing the long-term deficit to $160 million go into effect on July 1, 2026—with a goal of closing that gap by July 2028.

Although cuts are necessary to close the deficit and avoid running out of money, the agency says it continues to work with state, regional and local leaders to identify new, sustainable funding essential to sustain the public transit that sees as vital for the Portland region’s recovery.

“No leader wants to lay off employees, especially during a regional economic downturn and high unemployment, and no public transit agency wants to cut service, but TriMet must take drastic action now to ensure our core transit service will continue for the region for generations to come,” Desue Jr. said.

Historic staffing reduction

A large portion of TriMet’s FY27 spending cuts will come through what the agency calls a historic staffing reduction.

In the first quarter of the FY starting July 1, 2026, TriMet will eliminate approximately 400 positions, about 140 of which currently sit vacant. 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 (WWA). That means the number of employees facing layoff is about 170 — about 100 nonunion and 70 union employees, according to the agency.

TriMet notes that union employees have rights outlined in the WWA between TriMet and Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 757 in the event of a staffing reduction. Those include “bump back rights” to return to previously held union positions and rights to re-employment, based on their seniority and other considerations. Nonunion employees do not have the same rights outlined in the WWA. Instead, they will be offered a severance package, according to the agency.

Combined with a previous, smaller staffing reduction in fall 2025, TriMet’s overall staffing has dropped by just over 500 positions since July 1, 2025.

Total budgeted positions

•  3,708 positions - FY26 adopted budget
• 3,204 positions - after FY27 staffing reductions and layoffs take effect

August 2026 service reduction

Spending in TriMet’s FY27 adopted budget also reflects efforts to bring service in line with current resources. To do that, the agency says it must cut at least 10% of its service.

Beginning Aug. 23, 2026, TriMet notes it will implement service changes to 33 lines approved by the TriMet Board in April. The changes include eliminating two bus lines with other cuts and adjustments for network efficiency. Those involve shortening the MAX Green Line and combining bus lines or reducing where lines run near others and moving routes to maintain as much service in areas and at times when more people ride. The full extent of the service reductions can be found on the agency’s website.

The changes reduce TriMet’s weekly bus service hours by about 4.3% and weekly MAX service hours by 8.7% while focusing service investments where needed and used most, according to the agency.

TriMet notes it engaged the community last fall and earlier this year to determine the best approach to reduce service and increase efficiency. The agency will begin engaging riders and the community in September on a next round of service cuts for next summer.

Other reductions

TriMet’s efforts to streamline spending include internal changes, such as lessening training for nonunion staff, limiting travel, decreasing software use and reducing the use of contractors, but the cuts are affecting some of our customer-facing offerings in addition to service. Beginning next week, TriMet’s customer service call center will no longer be open on weekends and lost and found hours will reduce from 12 to 10 hours daily.

Effective June 1, 2026:

• Customer service: Monday throughFriday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
• TriMet Lost and Found: Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

Other adjustments may come in the coming FY, but the agency says it intends to continue providing safe and reliable service. The agency notes that it’s security operations center and security hotline will continue to operate 24/7.

“We are dedicated to maintaining a safe system with our law enforcement partners, including Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, other police agencies and the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office,” said TriMet Chief Safety & Security Officer Andrew Wilson. “We continue to add Transit Police officers and have made technological advancements with our security dispatching, extensive 10,000-plus camera system, blue-light security phones and other efforts to more efficiently ensure safety on our system.”

Staffed by trained security dispatchers with access to more than 3,500 live-feed cameras, the agency notes that the security operations center has led to 30% faster response times and a 40% improvement in de-escalating situations before they turn serious.

To keep TriMet service operating safely and reliably, the FY27 budget includes $217 million for capital projects with $103.2 million of that dedicated for projects to maintain and modernize TriMet’s buses, trains and light-rail infrastructure. 

TriMet faces the same challenges as other local governments, school districts and other transit agencies: rising costs and revenue streams not keeping up with them.

On average, TriMet says costs for providing public transit increased about 56% between 2019 and 2025, on everything from materials to equipment to contract services. Prices have continued to rise for the agency this year. TriMet says fuel costs alone have surged in 2026, as much as 84% over weekly budgeted amounts, due to global conflicts and conditions.

The agency also notes that far less money is coming in from passenger fares today than before the COVID-19 pandemic, despite a fare increase in 2024. The agency says this is because ridership remains about 30% below 2019 figures, and ridership growth has slowed as travel patterns change and remote work continues, with the state of Oregon being second in the U.S. for remote work.

The agency also cites payroll tax revenues not keeping up with cost increases due to high unemployment in the region and state. The state’s jobless rate is outpacing the national average and is the sixth highest in the nation.

“This is a challenging time—not only for TriMet but for the region,” Desue Jr. said. “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.

TriMet says that it and fellow Oregon transit agencies began engaging state and regional leaders in late 2024 about the need for increased transit funding. As TriMet notes it mentioned at that time, it would need to begin cutting service if the State Legislature did not increase the employee payroll tax that funds transit, referred to as the Statewide Transportation Improvement Fund, from its current 0.1% rate.

The State Legislature did not pass the transportation package—and its phased 0.3% increase in the STIF—during the 2025 regular session. Instead, it included a small, temporary STIF increase in the package that passed in the 2025 special session. That package was just voted down as Measure 120 in May 2026 during the state’s primary election.

“We urge lawmakers to join us and the Oregon Transit Association in seeking new strategies to address sustainable public transit funding—not only for the thousands of riders who rely on it, but for all Oregonians,” Desue Jr. added.