|
See what we've been up to at TriMet!
Masks are now optional on TriMet buses and trains due to a change in federal law. Riders are welcome to wear a mask, and we will continue having free ones available on board. The CDC recommends riders wear masks inside transit vehicles for the time being.
With more people heading back to the office, we’re excited to let riders know that some bus trips are faster, thanks to improvements that our partners made during the pandemic to make transit a priority.
Here are five popular bus lines with faster, more reliable trips, with transit-related upgrades completed after March 2020.
 Join us for a free, webinar with Relay Resources and Ace Hotel to learn how they are helping employees with their commutes. Please register for Commute Benefits for Every Budget at noon on May 11, here: https://bit.ly/36wyTJa.
Join our team and one day you might be driving down memory lane like Operator Shelli, who has been driving for TriMet for 28 years.
Shelli recalls driving TriMet’s original articulated buses, which were retired more than 20 years ago. She recently got to train on our one-of-a-kind, 60-foot bus converted from diesel to electric.
See how you can drive the future of our transition to a zero-emissions bus fleet at trimet.org/drive.
More of our new, big green articulated buses can be seen out and about as crews put the finishing touches on the Division Transit Project. We’ve started training some 180 bus operators to drive our first TriMet FX™—Frequent Express—bus line this fall!
Operators are learning how to serve the line’s unique stops, which work a lot like MAX stations. They’re also getting hands-on experience operating the bus’s accordion-like section, which supports safe turns. Riders will be able to hop on board FX 2-Division starting this September.
The TriMet Board of Directors just approved our first bulk purchase of battery-electric buses–24 in all. The long-range electric buses manufactured by GILLIG will start arriving in fall 2023. This is an important milestone on TriMet’s road to a zero-emissions bus fleet by 2040.
TriMet is once again reducing our greenhouse gas emissions as we expand our use of renewable diesel. Just months after moving to the cleaner-burning fuel for our fixed-route buses, we’re switching over our LIFT paratransit and WES vehicles. Renewable diesel is chemically identical to petroleum but is made from renewable and sustainable resources and contains no fossil carbon.
With our change to renewable diesel for our diesel buses and trains, and our move to renewable electricity last June, TriMet has reduced our carbon footprint by nearly 70% in less than a year!
TriMet GM Sam Desue Jr. and ATU 757 President Shirley Block represented TriMet as they briefly met with President Biden in Portland on April 24. They thanked him for the pandemic relief that kept TriMet rolling during the pandemic. They also shared enthusiasm for infrastructure funding that will be important for upcoming combined transit-safety projects in the communities we serve.
New TriMet bus operators are now eligible for a $7,500 hiring bonus! Not only that, we've increased our starting pay to $25.24 per hour!
We need to hire more than 300 bus drivers to return to pre-pandemic staffing levels and begin restoring service.
 Our spring service changes will make service faster and more reliable.We’re adjusting schedules on a few lines, reorganizing bus stops at the Washington Square Transit Center. Plus, the route changes for Line 63-Washington Park/SW 6th and Line 15-Belmont/NW 23rd will take effect. More.
TriMet’s bus and light rail operators are already stars in our eyes, but did you know that they can earn safety awards, much like actors win Oscars and Golden Globes?
MAX light rail operator Kim Luper recently received his 40th Superior Performance Award. He’s earned more safety awards than anyone else at TriMet!
Kim is a man of few words, but his body of work speaks volumes! When asked how he did it, he replied simply, “I just showed up!” For someone like Kim, being the best is all in a day’s work.
 |
|
Know someone who would enjoy keeping “On the Move”? Share the subscribe link to trimet.org/email! |
|
