Public Transit Service Web site: next train coming and other Portland, OR Transportation Tips

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Other
Getting TO/AROUND: Tri-Met (Tri-County Transportation District) operates the city bus services and light rail trains in the Portland area. The web site is a clearinghouse for all of the affiliated transit system schedules, including Portland Streetcar, Westside Express commuter rail service, MAX light rail, and TriMet's bus network. Certain connecting transit agencies (such as C-Tran in Clark County, Washington or CATS in Canby) are not featured on this web site as they are separate transit agencies.

When I first wrote this tip on November 12, 2003, TriMet was one of the few transit agencies around that had transit tracking and a detailed trip planner on their web site. Certain public transit agencies in certain cities didn't even have much of a set of timetables available on their web site!

Today, in 2009, it is much more expected to have good quality web sites that will tell you when the next bus / train / streetcar is coming, is accessible by web enabled phone, or a phone based system that allows voice or touch tone prompting.

Their web site features a number of useful items, including timetables, when the next bus is coming (linked to the GPS system installed on the buses) and many other items that would be useful to you if you are trying to get around on public transit in the Portland area.

To me, the most useful feature has been the "Transit Tracker", which I have used ever since they first started having this feature over 6 years ago. When service gets delayed, or there are other problems, or even if you don't know the timetable that well, it is very helpful to be able to know how far away the next bus / train is, and if it has just gone past, or if it is just not in sight yet. You don't have to spent extra minutes standing at the bus stop if you don't want to, so long as you have a computer or telephone.

Photo 2 shows a typical Transit Tracker output window: time to next bus passing through, and then the one after that. So, there is no use heading for the bus stop right now, as I have more than enough time to get there.

When I originally wrote this tip, you had to enter the nearest intersection, or otherwise guess at your bus stop location. Today, each bus, light rail, streetcar, or train stop has a unique identification number, so if you happen to know that (or are standing at the bus stop or train station platform) you can enter it into the web site or phone system. This helps with touch tone phone entry, as well as making sure that the right stop has been identified by the system.

However, how do you find the stop ID number? Some of the stops and most MAX and train stations have schedules with the stop ID number posted in a nice public place. See photo 4. Unfortunately, the vast majority of the bus stops do not have the stop ID posted. The only way to find this number for those types of bus stops is to use the web site and locate the street location on the "transit tracker".

See photo 5: this is the typical TriMet bus stop sign. It does not have much useful information: the fare zone (zone 1 is the area closest to downtown, zone 3 is furthest away). However, photo 4 does show that a few bus stops, such as this example, are equipped with schedules and the stop ID number.

The system references both the GPS system and the timetable. This means that if something really awful is happening, the arrival times will not be shown. This has gotten a little better in recent years (a city wide ice storm in December of 2008 tested that!) but it is still a bit hazardous to trust the system during severe weather. Storms in December of 2008 did produce somewhat different results than previous storms: the system now put out the distance away of the bus / train, rather than trying to estimate the arrival time.

The trip planner is OK, but you have to be very careful about what information you enter into it. Sometimes if you enter "shortest walk" the system may send you on a 1 hour detour just to avoid a few feet of walking. You also need to be careful about entering your departure time or arrival time. Certain buses are not available to certain areas at certain times, and the WES commuter rail service only operates during peak periods during regular weekdays. Certain pedestrian routes seem to be in the system, but certain other pedestrian only walkways don't seem to be in there.

Photo 4 shows the typical input for the Trip Planner.

The phone number below is for the automated system, which allows you to enter the stop or station ID number to see how long it will be until the next bus or train shows up.

Leave a Comment

Phone: (503) 238-RIDE
Website: http://www.trimet.org

'Mode': TO,AROUND
Category: Car/Motor Home
Getting TO/AROUND: In northwest Portland, just off of Interstate 405, there is a little unadvertised place where you can sometimes get fairly cheap gasoline.

The facility is operated by Portland radio cab,primarily as a benefit for the taxi drivers. However, the facility is open to the public, though it is almost completely unadvertised.

The official address is 1613 NW Kearny, but the entrance to the gas station is off of 16th avenue (see photo 1), right by the sign that advertises gas prices (see photo 2). The nearest I-405 freeway exit/entrances are 2A and 2B, which are only several blocks away. Lovejoy street (1 block north) is a major east-west road due to its connection with Cornell Road, which goes over the hill to Beaverton.

The prices charged are not necessarily better than the rest of Portland, but sometimes they may be. You will certainly find that it isn't worthwhile to drive a vast distance out of your way.

However, if you are passing through Northwest Portland and need to get gas, then it might be worthwhile driving past to see what the prices are and how they compare to the rest of Portland (especially downtown Portland, which tends to be high anyway).

Leave a Comment