We do our best to keep you on schedule, but sometimes your bus or train may arrive late. It may be tempting to blame the operator when this happens, but delays are usually caused by the same things that affect other road users.
Transit delays may be caused by:
- Heavy traffic
- Blocking construction, utility work, police activity or a weather-related issue
- A large event (such as a bike ride, festival or demonstration)
- A car accident or a vehicle blocking the road or MAX tracks
- Malfunctioning traffic signals or a commercial power outage
Other times, the delay may be operational in nature, such as:
- A mechanical problem with a bus or train
- A disruption on board (such as a medical emergency or disruptive passenger)
- One or more missed signals causing extra delays
- An operator calling out sick
It’s also possible that the operator was new to the route or filling in. If you believe this was the case, let us know so we can try to prevent it from happening again.
We’re always looking for ways to improve our on-time performance and avoid delays for riders, whether planned or unplanned. We regularly make adjustments to schedules, stops, operator training and traffic signal priority. And we’ve partnered with the Portland Bureau of Transportation, which is creating new transit-priority lanes that help keep buses from getting stuck in traffic.
Sometimes, we need to cancel a bus or train when an operator calls in sick or there’s a shortage of operators to cover shifts. On trimet.org and on arrival screens at MAX stations, canceled vehicles are shown in TransitTracker as “Canceled.”
You can help your bus stay on time by being at your stop with your fare ready a few minutes before its scheduled arrival. Exit through the rear door when possible. On MAX, please don’t hold the doors open. If you have suggestions for improving our reliability, please contact us!