Rose Bialk/The Mossy Log
On April 13, the Lewis & Clark Transportation and Parking Office announced a new OtterBus route — formerly the Pio Express — set to take effect Fall 2026. The changes will only apply to the weekday schedule, meaning weekend service will remain the same.
“The new route will better connect our community with the greater Portland area by adding stops at two TriMet transit hubs and adding immediate access to Sellwood,” Transportation and Parking Manager Joey Zayas said in “The Bark” weekly newsletter.
The updated weekday route will begin at Fowler Student Center, continue to the Law School, then stop at the Fred Meyer on Southwest Barbur Boulevard before heading southwest to the Barbur Transit Center. From there, the bus will travel to New Seasons Market on Southeast Tacoma Street and then further east to the Southeast Tacoma/Johnson Creek Park & Ride, where riders can access the MAX Orange Line. The route will then return to the Law School and end back at Fowler.
The revised route adds two key transit connections. At Barbur Transit Center, riders can take the TriMet 12 bus that connects to Tigard, downtown and east Portland. Riders can also take the TriMet 39 and 43 buses to connect to additional routes. At Southeast Tacoma/Johnson Creek Park & Ride, riders can take the Max Orange Line, which serves Portland State University and multiple east side stops.
Other changes include making the Fred Meyer stop available all day on weekdays, rather than only after 5:30 p.m., and adding the New Seasons Market stop in Sellwood to both weekday and weekend services.
The changes follow an outreach conducted by the college earlier this year. Students feedback played a central role, particularly concerns about maintaining access to downtown Portland and PSU.
“There is not a feasible way to have weekday stops on both the east side of Portland (Sellwood) and Downtown Portland,” the college said in response to feedback from the survey.
The design of the new route prioritizes a direct connection to Sellwood, with the college citing the lack of accessible TriMet routes from campus to the East side. Weekend service will continue to include downtown stops.
According to the college, traffic constraints also shaped the decision. Maintaining an hourly schedule would be difficult if the route included both downtown and east side destinations during weekdays. On weekends, however, the route still maintains an hourly schedule including both downtown and east side stops.
Others raised concerns that the updated route would limit students’ ability to participate in the Albina Vision Trust partnership. Their inaugural affordable housing project, Albina One, is located in the Rose Quarter area in the northeast. The site remains accessible with the updated route through the Max Orange Line, which stops at North Interstate & Larabee. From there, the Albina One building is about a 10 minute walk. The TriMet 35T drops off at the same stop as well.
The outreach survey, which received responses from students, faculty and staff, showed overall support for the decision. Among student respondents, 41% indicated that the route change will have a positive impact. Only 6% expressed concern that the change would have a negative impact, while the remaining 53% said it would not impact them in any way. Analysis shows that 91% of students who regularly use the shuttle service are in support of the decision. Faculty and staff expressed an overall indifference towards the decision.
The shift also reflects broader transit considerations. By avoiding overlap with the 35T, which currently faces recently announced budget cuts, the college aims to preserve existing regional service while expanding access to areas not directly served from campus.
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