October 22, 2026
Metro Council — October 22, 2026 Council meeting
1 decision explained in plain language.
Regionwide
Metro adopts five-year plan to bring back vanpools for commuters
The plan is a five-year roadmap to restart vanpooling in the Portland region, where 5 to 12 people share a van to ride to work.
Decision: Passed, 5 to 0, with 2 councilors excused.
Details
Metro will help promote a new state vanpool program run by the Oregon Department of Transportation and study who could run a lasting regional program later. The region has had no formal vanpool program since Metro ended its subsidies in 2012.
Who it affects: Workers who commute long distances or to jobs that buses do not serve well, such as shift, hospitality and health care workers, and their employers.
Money: The Oregon Department of Transportation has set aside about $3 million over three years for vanpool programs and rider subsidies statewide, with a focus on the Metro region and underserved communities.
Excused 2: Hwang, Palacios · Yes 5: Nolan, Rosenthal, Carlos Gonzalez, Lewis, Simpson
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