Transit Service: Urban and Intercommunity
Urban transit services include buses and intercity passenger rail in or around cities.
Intercommunity transit provides transportation between communities and connects local transit networks across the state. These buses and trains link people to jobs, healthcare, social or sports events, recreation sites, airports, and many other areas critical to daily life. The more seamless those connections are, the better.
Urban and intercommunity transit vehicles share a common benefit: every person riding on a bus or passenger rail means fewer cars on the road for those trips, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
Those emission reductions can be even larger if the transit vehicle is powered by a low-emission fuel, like electricity or renewable diesel. (See the Vehicle Technology page for more information.)
Maintaining a reliable and safe urban transit experience for travelers is necessary to convince people to use the system, and to create positive experiences for people who use it as their mode of choice. While transit in Portland, Salem, and Eugene currently provide about 90% of total urban and intercommunity transit trips, smaller urban areas also rely on transit services.
Transit is also important for Oregon’s growing population of older adults, and for essential workers, as highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Low-cost transit options will also be critical to maintain equity when congestion pricing strategies go into effect. These active modes also support healthy lifestyles and social cohesion within our communities.
Transit service: emissions reduction vision
Urban Transit
By 2050, transit service route miles per capita will have increased three to five fold from today in the state’s largest urban areas to accommodate ridership from a growing population.
By 2050, a majority of urban households have access to public transit options close to their home.
Urban transportation options are made possible by established and reliable funding sources like the Statewide Transportation Improvement Fund through 2050.
Intercommunity Transit
By 2050, intercommunity transit service miles have doubled along major roads and highways, and expands to selected new routes.
The Amtrak Cascades rail corridor in Oregon will expand and upgrade to accommodate Oregon’s growing population, following state and federal investments through 2050.
By 2050, frequent high speed rail services will be exist between Eugene, Portland, Vancouver, B.C., and the communities in-between.
How Oregon is doing
Urban transit service ridership has been decreasing for several years in Oregon, and is a trend that extends throughout the country. Ridership was further deflated by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-2022. As of late 2022, many transit agencies were still having trouble hiring drivers, and it’s uncertain how long these conditions may last.
Intercommunity transit ridership has also been on the decline, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Amtrak Cascades ridership numbers reached pre-pandemic levels again in fall 2022.
On the funding side, the near term outlook is good:
In 2017 the Oregon Legislature passed a transit payroll tax that provides ongoing funding for improvements to public transit across the state.
The 2021 federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law promised $200 million in additional funding to transit providers, plus other competitive federal grant opportunities.
The federal government also made a historic investment in Amtrak passenger rail grant programs under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The Oregon Department of Transportation will pursue those competitive grant opportunities as they become available.
As Oregon recovers from the pandemic, ODOT will continue to track transit performance across the state, including in large and small urban areas, and intercommunity services.
How Oregon can improve
The recent influx of state and federal funding allows Oregon to make good progress on transit goals for now. Long term, state and federal agencies will need to increase that funding to ensure urban and intercommunity transit options increase beyond the pace of Oregon’s growing population, and adapt to meet post-COVID changes in commuting patterns.
State agencies and local transit agencies can also improve long distance connections by making it easier for people to transfer between locally provided urban transit services and intercommunity services. Specifically:
Use new technology to provide real-time bus/train arrival and departure information.
Ensure connecting bus services coordinate bus schedules.
Confer with freight railroads hosting passenger trains and work to keep trains on time.
Improve transit reliability in congested urban areas by creating more bus lanes, expanding bus-on-shoulder pilot programs, and traffic signal and lane prioritization for transit vehicles.
Improve rider experience through mobile app fares, more fare options for underserved communities, and increased safety.
Transition more local bus fleets to buses that run on lower emission fuels. (See the Vehicle Technology page for more details.)
Increase reliability and frequency of passenger rail service between Eugene, OR and Vancouver, B.C.
Study high-speed ground transportation options for service between Portland and Vancouver, B.C.