Does Portland, OR have a good "mass transit" system or do you HAVE to have a car?

Only reason I'm asking is I am thinking of relocating to Portland in a few years & don't like driving period! Thanks for any help.

Comments

  • Portland has an excellent mass transit system. Light rail called the MAX. Seattle is even building one modeled after it. You can get virtually anywhere in the city and you can even get out to the airport. It's top notch.

  • Well let me put it this way. I have gone for very long stretches without a car and I really enjoyed it. And also Portland is pretty bicycle friendly too and they let you take your bike on busses and light rail. The only places i couldnt go is like camping far away, anywhere off the beaten path to the beach etc.... I have taken Max and trimet to allot of places. It takes longer but it can be relaxing provided that there is noone on the bus or max who choses to be annoying in which case you would pull out your headphones unless you arent bothered by obnoxiusness. If its during rush hour and such then it isnt so bad because the working crowd isnt so bad. But at night or after 5 or 6 it can be a good time to break out the headphones.

  • A lot of people who live in Portland don't even drive cars! The mass transit system is awesome. There is no problem getting where you need to go within Portland!

  • short answer - it's good enough for almost everything

    long answer - it has dozens of miles of light rail and dozens of bus routes. Like any mass transit system, it's a lot slower to get around by mass transit than by individual motorcar. Like someone else said, in downtown it's especially slow to the point that if you miss a train at a station you might as well run after it and get on at the next station. Don't think I'm kidding! For almost any errands within the city and suburbs it's cheap and reliable. If you want to go out to the beach or the mountains, you'll pretty much need a car though.

  • Portland has one the best transit systems in the world. The max currently has 3 lines and is expanding. The blue line goes from Hillsboro through Beaverton, on to Portland and end in Gresham. The red line follows much of the same route as the blue line but starts in Beaverton, goes to downtown Portland and then veers off to the airport. The yellow line goes from downtown Portland to the expo center. I think they are currently expanding and adding a line out of Beaverton and I believe it is heading to McMinneville. The bus systems goes from Forest Grove and then through Cornelius, Hillsboro, Beaverton, Tigard, Portland and stops at many max stations and Transit Centers for transfers all over most of the cities it hits. Below is a link to the TriMet website for each branch of the transit system we have to offer!

    http://trimet.org/schedules/maps/maxsystem.htm

    http://trimet.org/wes/index.htm

    http://trimet.org/streetcar/index.htm

    http://trimet.org/bus/index.htm

  • It depends what you want to compare it to. I'm from NYC and live in Portland so the public transportation in Portland is nothing to compare. However it is a very young city and compared to cities this size, it's pretty good. If you work outside the city like I do, it may be a pain. But all in all it's pretty good. I just wish they build the light rail underground downtown. It's a pain being on a train and watching people on bicycles blowing you away.

  • Very good, amongst the best in the country! Both Tri-Met and C-Tran provide extensive bus & light rail service throughout the Portland & Vancouver areas. regional connecting services can even get you to Salem to the south and the Seattle region to the north by transferring!

  • Within Portland, you don't even need a car, but things may get a little tiring if you take the MAX train to Gresham or Hillsboro.

  • while portland has a good system it has many flaws.

    it is mainly good if you only use it for, to get to and from work on a single line. most of the lines run east to west, and they only have a few north to south lines so if you have to go from one part of town to another it takes a few buses to get there.

    the buses are too small to cope with the people at many times during the day

    if you live and work in the suburbs it becomes a pain in the rear, as the buses dont connect well and they run late frequently, and in a rainy city as portland they dont have enough bus shelters.

  • right now it is very well. the max rail can take you to the airport as well into downtown gresham and many stops along the downtown route.. then metro bus routes are a bit more extensive and plenty of stops all around the city and outlying cities as well.

    in a few more years it should even be more extended.

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