The Portland area has grown tremendously since the streetcar era. And through innovative marketing and other programs, Tri-Met has emerged as one of the best run transit systems in the country, successfully keeping up with the growth. The result is a bus system which has expanded upon the hub and spoke former streetcar system, to include new crosstown routes. Among the first new bus routes created by Tri-Met were crosstown routes on 82nd Ave., 102nd Ave., and 122nd Ave. Also added were various circulator routes making convenient connections through transit centers strategically located throughout the area. With the 1986 opening of the MAX light rail line, and subsequent extensions, the bus system further evolved, with many bus routes emerging as feeder routes, connecting with the rail line.
The Tri-Met bus system has evolved so much, that a full route history cannot be concisely included for this page. Included are dates for bus routes which evolved from streetcar and trolleybus routes, along with dates for the earliest bus routes originally created as bus routes.
Recent route numbers are indicated, along with route numbers in use in 1983. By 1983, Tri-Met had evolved into an excellent all bus system, prior to the opening of the MAX light rail line. As various extensions of the MAX line were opened, several routes serving downtown Portland were modified into feeder routes connecting with the MAX line. Some routes were split at the MAX terminals. While other lines where downtown bus service was redundant to other bus lines, downtown service was discontinued. "Feeder with MAX" indicates such routes which were modified into feeder routes. Some of those routes had originally operated within the city of Portland, later to be extended into the suburbs.
In addition, many additional new feeder routes were created as the MAX line was extended, serving the growing areas further from downtown Portland.
Some bus routes were acquired by Tri-Met in 1970 from the four companies making up the Blue Bus Lines, operating in the suburbs. Such information is not available for all of the suburban routes. Because some suburbs are now served by the MAX light rail line, some routes presumably evolved to where there is now little similarity to the old routes.
Some bus routes are indicated as having evolved from steam dummy lines. The first street railways were operated with horse cars, and a few lines were operated with cable cars. But those are not indicated, because the streetcar networks evolved to where there was little resemblance to the original street railway systems. Those lines are described at the STREET RAILWAY COMPANIES page of this Web site.
Recent/1983 Route Steam Electric Trolley Motor Route Number Name Dummy Streetcar Bus Bus 1 1 Vermont ---- ---- Bus-Rose City 4 4 Division ---- 1890 8/30/36 1/ 2/57 4 4 Fessenden (Mississippi) ---- 1899 11/15/49 2/25/58 6 5 Interstate ---- ---- Bus-TriMet-before MAX 6 6 ML King Blvd (Union Ave) 1888 1892 3/ 5/40 2/25/58 8 8 Jackson Park ---- ---- New Bus 1927 8 8 NE 15th Avenue ---- 1889 -------- 1949 9 9 Powell ---- ---- New Bus 1927 10 27 Harold ---- ---- Bus-TriMet-before MAX 12 44 Barbur Blvd ---- ---- Bus-Tualatin Valley 12 14 Sandy Blvd ---- 1907 11/30/36 2/25/58 14 14 Hawthorne 1889 1903 9/27/36 6/12/55 15 21 Belmont 1888 1896 -------- 1949 15 53 NW 23rd Avenue ---- 1890 5/23/37 8/10/53 16 92 Front Avenue 1890 1903 4/11/37 2/25/58 16 27 St. Helens Road ---- ---- New Bus 1922 17 26 Holgate ---- ---- Bus-Rose City 17 9 Broadway ---- 1906 -------- 1949 18 66 Hillside (Kings Hts) ---- 1911 -------- 1941 18 66 Hillside (Westover) ---- 1913 -------- 1941 19 19 Woodstock (Eastmoreland) ---- 1890 8/30/36 1/ 2/57 19 19 Glisan ---- 1892 -------- 1949 Recent/1983 Route Steam Electric Trolley Motor Route Number Name Dummy Streetcar Bus Bus 20 20 Burnside-Stark ---- ---- Bus-Rose City 21 71 Sandy-223rd ---- ---- Bus-Rose City 22 41 Parkrose ---- ---- Feeder with MAX 23 40 San Rafael ---- ---- Feeder with MAX 24 41 Fremont ---- ---- Bus-TriMet-before MAX 25 19 Glisan-Rockwood ---- ---- Feeder with MAX 27 21 Market-Main (disc. 2010) ---- ---- Feeder with MAX 29 31 Lake-Webster ---- ---- Bus-TriMet-before MAX 30 31 Estacada ---- ---- Bus-Estacada-Molalla 32 32 Oatfield ---- ---- Bus-Intercity Buses 33 33 McLoughlin ---- ---- Bus-Intercity Buses 33 76 King Rd. ---- ---- Bus-TriMet-before MAX 34 34 River Road ---- ---- Bus-Intercity Buses 34 78 Linwood ---- ---- Bus-TriMet-before MAX 35 35 Macadam ---- ---- Bus-Intercity Buses 35 1 Greeley 1890 1903 4/11/37 2/25/58 36 36 South Shore ---- ---- Bus-TriMet-before MAX 37 37 Lake Grove ---- ---- Bus-TriMet-before MAX 38 38 Boones Ferry Road ---- ---- Bus-Tualatin Valley 39 40 Lewis & Clark ---- ---- Bus-TriMet-before MAX 43 40 Tacoma (Capitol Hill) ---- 1890 5/23/37 8/10/53 43 43 Taylors Ferry Road ---- ---- Bus-TriMet-before MAX 44 44 Capitol Hwy ---- ---- Bus-TriMet-before MAX 44 85 Mocks Crest (Williams) ---- 1891 2/21/37 2/17/52 44 8 Mocks Crest (Willamette) ---- ---- New Bus 1927 45 45 Garden Home (Greenburg) ---- ---- Bus-Tualatin Valley 47 57 Baseline/Evergreen ---- ---- Feeder with MAX 48 89 Tanasbourne ---- ---- Bus-TriMet/Feeder with MAX Recent/1983 Route Steam Electric Trolley Motor Route Number Name Dummy Streetcar Bus Bus 50 60 Cedar Mill ---- ---- Bus-TriMet-before MAX 51 51 Vista (Council Crest) ---- 1906 -------- 2/25/50 52 52 Farmington-185th ---- ---- Bus-TriMet-before MAX 54 54 Beaverton-Hillsdale Hwy ---- ---- Bus-TriMet-before MAX 55 55 Hamilton (Raleigh Hills) ---- ---- Bus-Rose City 56 56 Scholls Ferry Road ---- ---- Bus-TriMet-before MAX 57 57 TV Hwy/Forest Grove ---- ---- Bus-Tualatin V./Feeder with MAX 58 57 Canyon Road ---- ---- Bus-TriMet-before MAX 59 59 Walker-Park Way (Cedar Hills) ---- ---- Bus-Tualatin V./Feeder with MAX 62 87 Murray Blvd ---- ---- Bus-TriMet-before MAX 63 63 Washington Park ---- ---- Bus-TriMet-before MAX 67 65 Bethany-158th ---- ---- Bus-TriMet-before MAX 70 6 12th Avenue (Sellwood) ---- 1892 3/24/40 6/12/55 70 26 NE 33rd Avenue ---- ---- Bus-Rose City 71 84 60th Ave ---- ---- Bus-TriMet-before MAX 71 71 Prescott ---- ---- Bus-Rose City 72 71 Killingsworth ---- 1892 -------- 1949 72 72 82nd Avenue ---- ---- Bus-TriMet-before MAX 75 75 Cesar Chavez (39th)-Lombard ---- ---- New Bus 10/ 5/24 76 43 Beaverton-Tualatin ---- ---- Bus-TriMet-before MAX 77 27 NW 21st ---- ---- New Bus 1922 77 77 Broadway-Halsey ---- ---- New Bus 1927 78 77 Beaverton-Lake Oswego ---- ---- Bus-TriMet-before MAX 79 79 Canby-Clackamas Town Center ---- ---- Bus-TriMet-before MAX Recent/1983 Route Steam Electric Trolley Motor Route Number Name Dummy Streetcar Bus Bus 80 80 Kane Road-Troutdale Road ---- ---- Bus-Portl. St./Feeder with MAX 84 4 Powell Valley-Orient Dr. ---- ---- Feeder with MAX 85 71 Swan Island ---- ---- Bus-TriMet-before MAX 88 88 Hart-198th Avenue ---- ---- Bus-TriMet-before MAX 92 87 South Beaverton Express ---- ---- Bus-TriMet-before MAX 154 33 Willamette ---- ---- Bus-TriMet-before MAX Recent/1983 Route Steam Electric Trolley Motor Route Number Name Dummy Streetcar Bus BusThe Eastmoreland and Sandy trolleybus routes were originally converted to motor buses on 6/12/55, but reverted to trolleybuses on 10/29/56, and back to motor buses on 1/2/57. The Sandy route returned to trolleybuses on 9/29/57, but permanently went to motor buses on 2/25/58.
In 1970, one year after Tri-Met acquired Rose City Transit serving the city of Portland, Tri-Met acquired the four companies making up the Blue Bus Lines, operating in the suburbs.