Shuttle Route Concern Responses

Losing Downtown Portland Access - It is undeniable that weekday service to downtown Portland is going to negatively impact some of our community. Currently there is not a feasible way to have weekday stops on both the east side of Portland (Sellwood) and Downtown Portland. There are a few variables that we took into consideration when creating this new proposed route including:

• • TriMet Overlap - The 35T Line already provides direct access to downtown Portland. The current L&C route does add more frequency, but we are looking to serve areas that are not as well connected by TriMet. We want to shape the shuttle route so that it adds to the existing TriMet ecosystem. Currently, there isn’t a direct TriMet route connecting students to Sellwood or the east side of Portland in general. By altering the route, we expand alternative options to get to/from campus.
  • TriMet Cuts - In July 2025 TriMet announced that it was facing a $300M shortfall which would require significant operational cuts. Fortunately the 35T has avoided the first wave of cuts, but could still potentially be affected. The change of the shuttle route assures that L&C is not negatively impacting ridership on the 35T in an effort to proactively prevent the line to be cut.
    • TriMet Operational Cuts Announcement
  • Weekend Access - We want to reiterate that the proposed changes to the route will not impact the current weekend route which provides access to downtown Portland.

Albina Vision Trust Partnership - Some have raised concerns that the new route would impact their ability to participate in the Albina Vision Trust Partnership. When we crafted the new route, the Albina Vision Trust was a variable that we kept in mind. The new route will connect students to the TriMet Orange Line (via the SE Tacoma & Johnson Creek Park and Ride) stop. The Orange Line provides access to N. Interstate & Larabee Stop (near the Moda Center) which is about a 10 minute walk to the Albina One building. In addition to this, the 35T Line also can be utilized which drops off at the same N. Interstate & Larabee stop.

Commuter Connection to L&C - Based on data we have collected, our members are widely dispersed throughout the Portland-Metro Area including in areas such as Lake Oswego, Beaverton, Tigard, Clackamas, Etc… Since there is no specific area with a high density of off-campus residents we wanted to focus on connecting the shuttle to more of TriMet’s services. The new route connects to 2 transit hubs (Barbur Transit Center & SE Tacoma Park and Ride) which provides access to multiple bus lines that give broader city access.

Residential Connections - We collect ridership data which indicates that the majority of ridership occurs on weekends and in late afternoon/evenings. This would indicate that the majority of ridership is from students living on-campus. We wanted to provide students living on campus with more access to the city and key services. The new route allows for the shuttle to go to Fred Meyer (Barbur) all day instead of only after 5pm (weekdays) and adds a stop at the New Season on SE Tacoma. Students needing access to downtown Portland still have access via the TriMet 35T Line.