National Institute for Transportation and Communities

Our multi-year study on automated transit fare collection offers a key finding that won't surprise you: Despite the convenience, the rush toward cashless fare systems has created barriers for lower-income riders seeking to use transit. Results from focus groups, surveys, and a review of current transit agency practices suggest that continuing to accept cash is a crucial way to keep transit accessible. However, dealing with cash has drawbacks: it’s time intensive and expensive. Using a detaile... Read More

The Investigations in Transportation program is an elementary school partnership and curriculum development project to engage science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) professionals in school-based activities and projects to bring real-world applications to elementary classrooms for grades 3-5. The Portland Metro STEM Partnership (PMSP) provided leadership and facilitation to a team of educators from Portland State University, Beaverton School District and Hillsboro School Distr... Read More