TriMet Celebrates Transit Employee Appreciation Day, March 18

March 18 is National Transit Employee Appreciation Day, and the public transit industry is going full force to recognize and honor its workforce!

In Portland, OR, TriMet is taking the day to celebrate its approximately 1,500 full- and part-time bus and rail drivers. The agency is appealing to passengers to say hello to drivers and thank them for the ride. TriMet employees and volunteers will be greeting bus and rail drivers from 7:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. on March 18 and sending them on their way with hoots, cheers, and waves.

Additionally, TriMet will have banners celebrating its drivers at the Beaverton, Clackamas Town Center, Gresham, and Rose Quarter transit centers. Riders are invited to sign those banners and write a brief message. Hundreds of riders shared their appreciation on banners throughout the system last year. For those not riding on March 18, friendly words and messages can be left at trimet.org/thankyou.

National Transit Employee Appreciation Day is the perfect time to salute the workforce and position public transit as a fulfilling career, but only with your participation can this be a truly national event. APTA has a wealth of resources to assist you and your organization, including a list of suggested activities. Be sure to use the official National Transit Employee Appreciation Day hashtag, #TransitEmployeeAppreciationDay, when posting to social media, and don’t forget to share your stories with Passenger Transport—reach out to driddy@apta.com.