New Fall 2026 OtterBus Route
The Lewis & Clark Transportation and Parking Office would like to announce a new OtterBus route to enhance service for the 2026-27 academic year, balancing student mobility, equity, community engagement, and fiscal responsibility.
Update: New Shuttle Route Has been Approved. New Route will begin operation Fall 2026.
Route Concern Responses
New Route Facts
- Change will only affect weekday shuttle service. The weekend route will remain the same (both schedule and route).
- Weekday shuttle will shift from a North-South (West of river) route to an East-West Route connecting students to Sellwood.
- New route prioritizes connecting students to TriMet Transit Hubs which will provide greater access to all of Portland Metro via TriMet.
- New route will run once/hour.
- New Route Stops (Round Trip: 45 min - 1 hr):
- Fowler
- Law School (Traffic Circle)
- Fred Meyer will be a stop all day
- Barbur Transit Center
- New Season’s on SE Tacoma
- SE Tacoma / Se Johnson Creek Park and Ride - MAX orange line access
- Law School (Traffic Circle)
- Fowler
Data and Outreach
- Analyzed current ridership data which showed primary usage was from residential students on evenings and weekends with the primary destinations being Fred Meyer (Barbur) and Sellwood.
- Received over 1,800 (1,300+ students) responses on our Transportation Survey (administered October 2025). 92% of respondents that use/would use the shuttle had a positive response to the proposed change.
- We presented with key student orgs to discuss proposed change including the Associated Student Body (ASB), Student Bar Association (Law), Grad School Student Union, Law Clinics, Counseling Clinic as well as tabling in front of Fields Dining Hall, VPSL Office, and JR Howard.
Reasoning
- Redundancy with TriMet
- The current route and TriMet’s 35T have nearly the same route. Although the new route no longer includes PSU and Barbur, students will still have access via TriMet (remember we offer a 75% subsidized TriMet pass).
- TriMet is currently making significant cuts to service to offset a budget deficit. We want to ensure that the OtterBus does not increase the likelihood of cuts by directly competing with the 35T route.
- Rather than competing with TriMet, we wanted to add to the transportation ecosystem by offering a new unique route thereby offering more options to students.
- Data and feedback we have received showed a clear desire for direct Sellwood access and more frequent stops to Fred Meyer. In addition, we also added a stop at the New Seasons (SE Tacoma) to provide students with more options to grocery shop.
- One key factor was for us to find a way to connect students with the Albina Vision Trust partnership program in NE Portland. Connecting students to the Orange MAX Line will provide direct access to Albina One dropping off only a short 10 minute walk away.
Key stops that shuttle would no longer serve:
- Shattuck Hall (PSU)
- Barbur
Key stops added:
- Fred Meyer (all day instead of only after 5pm)
- Barbur Transit Center
- New Seasons (SE Tacoma St)
- SE Tacoma Park n Ride (Connects to Orange MAX)
Proposed Route Map:
