Seattle vs Portland, OR : public transportation ?

11 comments

1. They’re both good, but Seattle has higher ridership, for what’s it worth. At least it did pre-covid.

2. Seattle has a less expansive rail network, but a more expansive bus network.

   In every American city except New York, most public transit trips take place on a bus rather than a train. So as much as people think of rail networks immediately when thinking of cities with good transit, the unsung hero is the bus, and Seattle wins out in that regard.

   They’re roughly comparable, though, in my experience.

   Portland’s public transit is impressive for a city of its size _by American standards_. Important distinction.

   Both cities have better transit than, say, a Sun Belt city. But neither is as good as a Chicago or San Francisco or D.C.

3. I was impressed by the transit in Portland, it’s good for a city of its size.

4. In my experience, Seattle was very compact with interesting places focussed in downtown, while Portland had a larger sprawl with interesting places far apart.

   While both have decent public transport, I would choose Seattle.

5. Seattle’s monorail is light years ahead of Portland’s aerial tram! Case closed.

6. I spent a couple months in downtown Portland in 2020 and although the Max (I think they call it) was impressive in the locations it covered, I almost always found it empty when I saw it. I did ride in it once or twice but preferred just walking everywhere. Overall though, Portland was empty which was sad because the infrastructure is there; it just needs to be occupied.

   If anyone here lives in Portland or has visited recently – has the city recovered from 2020/2021? Is the downtown area still all boarded up with majority foot traffic being homeless?

7. Hello, Portland metro resident here. Portland *does* have very impressive public transit– for an American city of its size. We have a pretty expensive rail network, which has notable gaps, but in conjunction with the bus system can get you from A to B in the majority of cases. It’s also relatively cheap.

8. I always felt that Portland’s transit was superior to Seattle’s, *however* Seattle’s light rail was in its infancy the last time I visited so things may have changed. Portland’s light rail really is great, though. When I was a kid, we’d stay in a suburb like Gresham and take the train into town. It was really convenient.

9. Seattle

10. Portland.

    Simply due to its smaller size, it can field a more dependable product relative to its size.

11. They are both great.