Transit is Facing Unprecedented Challenges, But We Can Create the System We Need
Transit is Facing Unprecedented Challenges, But We Can Create the System We Need
Sustainable routes to prosperity are within reach.
The most visible lasting impact of COVID-19 on public transportation is decreased passenger volume, and the associated financial, logistical, and socio-political challenges.
Often, people see transit vehicles go by with fewer riders than they did prior to the pandemic, which can give the impression that systems are overbuilt, inefficient, and wasteful of public funds.
What’s missing from this narrative are the stories of transit-dependent riders, and all of the risk, hard work, and creativity that transit agencies and workers put into continuing to serve them.
At our 2023 Oregon Active Transportation Summit, we heard from the leaders of three local transit agencies, Cascades East Transit, Lane County, and TriMet, who, despite the geographic and demographic differences between their service districts, shared common challenges including workforce recruitment and retention, as well as the public's perception of transit spaces as high-risk for community COVID transmission and crime. We also heard from community leaders who pushed back on some of the agency premises and conclusions.
Watch: The State of Oregon’s Transit System, featuring TriMet General Manager Sam Desue, Jr., followed by Community Perspectives on Transit Needs and Desires of Oregonians, moderated by Josh Laurente, Policy Manager at OPAL Environmental Justice Oregon
To adjust service to meet demand, TriMet implemented temporary, strategic service reductions, many of which are still ongoing or undergoing revision (Ex: Trimet Revised Service Concept), running up to a fiscal cliff rather than completely stopping service.
In the background of everything, bus, rail, Dial-a-Ride, and paratransit services continued to connect seniors to grocery stores, frontline workers to jobs, and people in need to community resources.
COVID reinforced for us that public transportation exists not only to move people, but to create the conditions for healthier, more vibrant communities.
Transit has the potential to transform individual lives to the benefit of everyone, and our planet, but transformation at scale is not possible while operating in survival mode to provide basic service. And more service and better service will require greater investment and rethinking of how we pay for transit, rather than relying on inequitable, unsustainable, and outdated models.
In this issue, we’re going to outline what current levels of investment look like, and what challenges and opportunities we have on the horizon.
Who pays for the bus?
Beyond the fares paid by passengers, the makeup of public transit funding is a black box to most people. Together, federal, state, and local governments represent the largest source of funding.
Where does Oregon stack up on supporting public transit?
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA, Public Law 117-58) extended the increase through 2026, providing 42% more federal funding than the amount provided from 2016 to 2021.
In the Portland Metro region, TriMet has steered its federal pandemic assistance wisely, and it should help support TriMet at least until we can come to the table for the next major statewide transportation package in 2025.
Unfortunately, TriMet may have lost public favor gained through its “Forward Together” service improvements as a result of the contentious fight over its recent fare increase, which the TriMet Board of Directors approved last month. Although arguably advised from a short-term fiscal perspective, the increase’s poor timing and resulting acrimony could cost them critical goodwill needed for longer-term gains.
In the next couple of years, strategic messaging and coalition building for transformative transit investments is going to be essential to gain buy-in … from the grassroots to the corporate boardroom. A greater diversity of people across sectors and socioeconomic groups invested in public transportation’s success will be central to securing the future funding we need.
New and expanded public transportation can improve health and health equity by reducing traffic crashes and air pollution, increasing physical activity, and improving access to medical care, healthy food, services, and jobs.
Ideally, TriMet will leverage its increased farebox revenue to improve safety on MAX and increase bus frequency, which are two priorities we’re hearing from riders at our community listening sessions across the region this year.
This work is not solely the responsibility of transit agencies and leadership, however. We all need to prioritize transit’s role in transporting people throughout our state and region. We have forced our transit providers to become de facto social work agencies, providing services for which they are neither funded nor trained. The safety, security, and cleanliness problems of public transit is not a “them” problem, it’s a “we” problem. Every level of decision-maker should be engaging with the community and innovating creative partnerships and solutions to provide more housing and supportive addiction and mental health and substance abuse treatment and services, in addition to transportation.
So, where do we go from here?
While Oregon did make historic investments in transit via HB 2017/STIF and IIJA/BIL, we’re going to need to do significantly more to ensure an equitable society, healthy climate, and prosperous economy moving forward. We need permanent, consistent sources of funding that aren’t contingent upon a crisis or underpinned by volatile consumer behavior.
We also need a funding model that results in no significant difference in an area’s transit funding based on its ability to raise operations funds. The current level of dependence upon local contributions inevitably results in lower service levels in jurisdictions with more low-income and people of color.
Politicians with ties to the auto and road building industries will say systems transformation is not possible, while approving billions in funding to expand freeways and subsidize suburban sprawl. Yet, the $30.5B in unrestricted funding for public transit included in the American Rescue Plan stands as an example of what can be done when the political will is there.
As we navigate the unprecedented challenges facing public transportation, it’s crucial to recognize that sustainable pathways to prosperity exist. While COVID-19 has impacted passenger volume, and posed financial and logistical hurdles, we must not overlook the valuable role transit can play in connecting communities and supporting those who depend on it.
We can’t end up in political gridlock with each plan update and legislative session. Even as Oregon’s 2023 legislative session grinds to a halt, let's begin communicating with each other now about the permanent, consistent funding sources we’ll seek in 2025 to prioritize multimodal transportation and maximize public transit's transformative potential. By uniting across race and place, and demanding fully funded and widespread public transit with one voice, we can create healthier, more vibrant communities and pave the way for a prosperous future in Oregon.
News
America’s Trains and Buses Are Speeding Toward a Cliff (New York Magazine)
High Stakes Budget Battle for California's Public Transit (Governing)
Clatsop County transit district stops service over finances (OPB)
Resources
Resource Hub: Safety for All. Transit Center. Online.
Report: Government Spending on Public Transportation and Other Infrastructure. Congressional Budget Office. March 2022. Online.
Report: In Search of Equitable Transit Operations: Examining Public Transportation Funding and Service across the United States. Urban Institute. August 2021. Online.
...for one, there needs to be members on the board who actually use the system. I moved here 34 years ago from Washington State and have ridden TriMet throughout that entire time.
To be on the board pretty much requires connections and usually some sort of degree in civic/transit planning, administration, or whatever. This pretty much locks out people who actually deal with the system on a daily basis and in some cases know the needs of riders and drivers better than the current board members who drive everyday and rarely if ever set foot on a bus or Max. They don't know what it;'s like to stand on cold windy rainy day on the transit mall with no protection (those new "shelters" on the Transit Mall and along the FX2 route are a total joke), They don't know the frustration of missjsut missing a connection at a transit centre and having to wait for the next bus not because the bus you are on was a few minutes late, but because that's the way it's actually scheduled.
I've known drivers who candidly told me that they have little to no say about operations even though they are on the front lines" everyday and see lots of issues. They even encourage us riders to file comments, as they feel we have a better voice. Well, apparently every time there is another "nickel and dime" fare increase (like the latest one), that isn't the case. I commented about that as well as I couldn't make the public meetings and particularly focused on keeping senior/disabled and low income fares where they currently are. They could have also raised regular adult fares to the next 25¢ which is much more easy to manage and left the HC fares at the current rate.
Without rider advocates on board (who actually have a say and not just are there as tokens), these sort of situations will continue where the board feel it knows what the public wants when the riding public sees different needs and matters that that require attention (and don't get me on the FX2 alignment).
When the Max is safe to ride, we will attract more commuters. Until then, nobody will risk their lives and happiness to take the train to work. I have witnessed too much violence, trash, and human waste to board the Max on a regular basis. I have always been a proponent of light rail, and today I cannot say for sure that it is safe and effective to use on the reg.