7 de octubre de 2026 · Ordinance · 2026-212
Amend Advertising on Bus Benches Code to allow advertising on City streetcar benches and shelters (amend Code Chapter 17.45)
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Resumen en lenguaje sencillo
City can now sell ads on streetcar benches and shelters
Until now, city rules let only TriMet sell ads on benches and shelters where people wait for transit. This change lets the City, which owns the Portland Streetcar, also sell ads on streetcar benches and shelters. The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) plans to run the next streetcar ad contract.
Decision: Passed, 12 to 0.
Who it affects: People who ride or walk past Portland Streetcar stops, and companies that sell or buy transit ads.
Money: No cost to the City. The City does not expect more ad money soon, but says it could bring in more over the long term. The amount cannot be estimated yet.
Next: The current streetcar ad contract with Intersection Media ends November 11, 2026. After that, PBOT intends to hold the next contract.
Official record
Escrito por IA a partir del registro oficial y revisado automáticamente. 7 de octubre de 2026
Resumen en lenguaje sencillo
City may sell ads on Portland Streetcar benches and shelters
Right now, city rules let only TriMet put ads on benches and shelters where people wait for transit. This change would let the City, which owns the Portland Streetcar, sell ads on streetcar benches and shelters too. The city's transportation bureau (PBOT) plans to take over the streetcar ad contract when the current one ends on November 11, 2026.
Decision: Moved forward to a second reading, which is a required second council vote before it becomes law. No vote count was given.
Who it affects: People who ride or pass by Portland Streetcar stops, and companies that buy or sell transit ads.
Money: The city says it does not expect more ad money soon and the change has no cost. It may help bring in more money over the long term, but the amount cannot be estimated.
Next: Second reading on October 7, 2026 at 9:30 am.
Official record
Escrito por IA a partir del registro oficial y revisado automáticamente. 30 de septiembre de 2026
Resumen en lenguaje sencillo
City may allow ads on Portland Streetcar benches and shelters
Right now, city code lets only TriMet sell ads on benches and shelters where people wait for transit. This change would let the City, through the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT), also sell ads on the benches and shelters it owns for the Portland Streetcar. PBOT plans to take over the streetcar ad contract when the current one ends in November 2026.
Decision: Rescheduled to a later meeting at the September 23, 2026 meeting. The linked document is marked as passed, but no vote is listed for this meeting.
Who it affects: Streetcar riders, who may see ads at stops, and businesses that buy transit advertising.
Money: No cost to the City. Staff do not expect more ad revenue soon, but say it could help the streetcar ad program earn more over time.
Next: The current streetcar ad contract ends November 11, 2026, and PBOT plans to hold the next contract.
Official record
Escrito por IA a partir del registro oficial y revisado automáticamente. 23 de septiembre de 2026
- Full title
- Amend Advertising on Bus Benches Code to allow advertising on City streetcar benches and shelters (amend Code Chapter 17.45)
- Status
- Passed
- Document number
- 2026-212
- Introduced by
- Mayor Keith Wilson
- City department
- Transportation city code and administrative rule updates
- Requested council date
- October 7, 2026
- Purpose and background
- When Chapter 17.45 Advertising on Bus Benches was written, it specified that the Tri-County Metropolitan Transit District (TriMet) could sell advertising space on accommodations for people waiting for public transportation. Therefore, TriMet alone has the ability to advertise on transportation benches. Since then, the Portland Streetcar has also been introduced with their own benches and shelter structures. The Portland Streetcar is owned by the City, specifically PBOT. The City of Portland should have the same authority to advertise on their streetcar bench and shelter assets.
- Financial and budgetary impacts
- While the addition of bench and shelter advertising expands the Portland Streetcar's advertising inventory, it is not expected to result in a near-term revenue increase. Given existing market conditions and historical performance, it is unlikely the benches will increase revenue above the current Minimum Annual Guarantee (MAG). However, expanding the range and visibility of available advertising assets may improve the overall marketability of the Streetcar advertising program. A more comprehensive asset portfolio could increase interest from advertising vendors. Due to the absence of directly comparable historical data and variability in the regional advertising market, the financial impact of these factors cannot be reliably quantified at this time. The change is therefore best characterized as having potential long-term revenue upside with no associated cost.
- Economic and real estate impacts
- The economic impact of this change is negligible. TriMet has been informed of this change and they are in support.
- Community impacts and community involvement
- Community outreach was not conducted. The precedence for advertising on transit benches and shelters has already been set by TriMet. Based on this precedence, we believe the community impact will be minimal. The community impact of this change is negligible.
- 100% renewable goal
- Allowing the City to advertise on their streetcar shelters and benches may increase Portland Streetcars streams of revenue in the long term. The streetcar offers an equitable transit solution to the central city that uses renewable energy.