Transit Platform
Created with input from OPAL Environmental Justice Oregon,
part of the 350PDX Climate Justice Platform 2024
Context
Public transit is a crucial piece of public infrastructure. When done well, it allows large numbers of people to move around a city easily and with low greenhouse gas emissions. Transportation accounts for the largest portion of emissions in the state of Oregon. Public transit can help reduce this by carrying more people for the amount of energy used.
Though Portland does not control TriMet, City Council could work with TriMet to move toward fareless transit, or free and low fairs for certain groups such as students or certain regions of the City. Passenger fares make up less than 10% of TriMet’s budget, and yet these fares are costly for individuals who use the service (see TriMet’s FY2025 budget, “Understanding our funding”). Additionally, more people may ride if TriMet became more affordable, accessible, and frequent, with the impact of reducing emissions. See OPAL’s 2024 report, “Riding the Free Fare Wave: Learning from Fareless Transit Cities.”
Actions
Make public transit affordable and accessible while lowering emissions from transportation and transitioning the transit vehicle fleet to non- or low-emitting vehicles.
- Move toward affordability through programs such as free transit for children under 18, a Free Rail Zone, and eventually fareless transit.
- Bring back the Free Rail Zone for all residents within Portland city limits.
- Make transit free for individuals aged 18 and under, regardless of current school eligibility. This would encourage those living within the city to take transit, reducing emissions and congestion, and removing some financial barriers to public transit.
- Expand the City of Portland’s portion of TriMet funding to move toward a zero fare transit program. Begin with Portland Streetcar, making the entire system free.
- Increase frequency of service and expand TriMet LIFT.
- Ensure that transit is fully accessible to everyone by expanding Trimet LIFT and frequency of service. Trimet LIFT ensures that those who are unable to easily use public transit still have access to a form of transportation.
- In addition, by expanding the frequency of service to more locations, public transit will become more accessible to those who need it the most and in turn make public transit a more viable option for many.
- Reduce Portland’s emissions through encouraging people to ride public transit, as well as reducing emissions of transit vehicles and other public vehicles.
- The City of Portland should continue to support public transit and the transition to a zero emissions fleet through direct funding and pressure via local ordinances.
- With transportation making up the largest sector of emissions, the City has an opportunity to reduce emissions greatly through encouraging usage of public transit, funding public transit, and helping Trimet transition to a non- or low-emitting fleet.
Important Stakeholders
OPAL Environmental Justice Oregon
Case Studies
Albuquerque, NM and Kansas City, MO institute zero fare transit programs:
- Megan Holcombe. “Breaking financial barriers with fare-free services: Offering a more equitable transport system for transit-dependent riders.” Intelligent Transport. January 9, 2024.
- The city implemented zero-fare in 2022 after finding that it cost more to collect fares than to not. The program is extremely popular with 90% of riders saying that free fares is the best thing transit can do for them.
- Sandy Smith. “Kansas City’s Zero Fare Transit Program Shows Major Success – And What Still Needs to Be Done.” Next City. July 27, 2022.
- The city implemented a fareless system during the COVID-19 pandemic due to health concerns and decided to continue offering it even after the pandemic was over. The system is in danger of shutting down due to budget constraints which threatens to decrease ridership by 17-33%. Missouri is one of the states with the smallest amount of funding dedicated to transit and once federal grants run out, the program will likely cease to exist.
- “CTS Funding/Fares,” City of Corvallis, https://www.corvallisoregon.gov/cts/page/cts-fundingfares.
- The city implemented a fareless system in 2011. The program’s popularity was immediately apparent with ridership increasing 38% in the first year alone. The program was able to be implemented due to a Transit Operations Fee tax which was instituted in 2010.
Citations
“Oregon Greenhouse Gas Sector-Based Inventory Data,” Department of Environmental Quality, State of Oregon website, https://www.oregon.gov/deq/ghgp/Pages/GHG-Inventory.aspx.
TriMet Adopted Budget 2024–25, https://trimet.org/budget/pdf/2025-adopted-budget.pdf.
OPAL Environmental Justice Oregon, “Riding the Free Fare Wave: Learning from Fareless Transit Cities,” September 12, 2024, https://assets.nationbuilder.com/opalpdx/pages/54/attachments/original/1726175517/Riding_the_Free_Fare_Wave_Report.pdf?1726175517.
Endorsed by:
Endorsed full Climate Justice Platform:
Laura Streib (D2)
Jonathan Tasini (D2)
Brian Conley (D3)
Chad Lykins (D4)
Moses Ross (D4)
Andra Vltavín (D4)