It is a bleak time for mass transit all throughout the U.S. The challenges here in the Portland metro area are many and pronounced.TriMet is providing about 30 million fewer rides each year than it did in 2019 — and the recovery appears to be slowing way down.

Rider safety has been a persistent concern since the pandemic. Fare evasion is rampant.

Meanwhile, TriMet’s subsidy per ride has soared by more than 400% in the last decade. And the regional transit agency is now raising the prospect of staggering service cuts over the next few years.

On the latest Beat Check, Oregonian/OregonLive reporters Shane Dixon Kavanaugh and Mike Rogoway examine this perilous moment for public transit in the Portland region.

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