FX2-Division Update

FX2-Division riders: Many of you are wondering about why our standard 40-foot buses are running on the FX2-Division route instead of our new FX bendy buses.

As we said in a service alert to FX2-Division riders on Nov. 2, we removed the buses from service out of an abundance of caution due to a mechanical issue. The mechanical issue was found on inspection, not due to an equipment failure on the road. An operator noticed a noise when turning one of the articulated buses. A mechanic then investigated and found that a fastener or bolt that connects a mounting plate to the frame of a bus was missing. TriMet’s maintenance team did a quick inspection of 6 other buses and found the fasteners missing on two and loose on the 4 others.

As a precaution, all the bendy buses were removed from service for further investigation.

We’re working with the manufacturer, Nova Bus, to determine the cause and address the issue as soon as possible.

We also want to note that this issue with the fasteners becoming loose is not related to the August 2022 recall by Nova Bus of certain Nova Bus steering gear equipment. Our buses do not use that equipment and are not affected by that recall. These are new buses, and just like brand new vehicles often experience recalls, it’s not unheard of to experience an issue such as this that needs to be addressed.

We thank you for your patience as we get the buses fixed and running again. For now, our standard buses will continue serving FX2-Division stations between Downtown Portland and Gresham. We don’t expect riders to notice impacts to travel times along the route. The 40-foot buses will provide the same 12-minutes or better frequency service and also have transit signal priority that lets  buses bypass red lights to skip congestion. They’ll also use the transit-only bus lanes at key locations to move buses around traffic.

The safety of our riders, operators and the communities we serve is not just important, it is what we at TriMet value.

We’ll keep you posted as we learn more. Thanks again for your patience and understanding as we fix this issue.

For updates, be sure to sign up for service alerts about FX2-Division.