PILOT grant program
To help implement the emerging technology strategy, Metro developed the Partnerships and Innovative Learing Opportunities in Transportation (PILOT) grant program.
Learn more about the program
Technology is already transforming our region’s transportation system. Ride‐hailing services provided over ten million rides within the city of Portland in 2017, car share services operate over 1,000 vehicles in the region, people took over 700,000 trips on dockless electric scooters during a four‐month pilot in the city of Portland in 2018 and the City of Portland’s bike share system, Biketown, carried almost 400,000 trips in 2018. People increasingly rely on smartphone apps to help them make on‐the‐go decisions when congestion or a change in circumstances means that they can’t travel like they normally do.
The Emerging Technology Strategy identifies steps that Metro and our partners can take to harness new developments in transportation technology—including automated, connected and electric vehicles; new mobility services like car share, bike or scooter share and ride‐hailing services like Uber and Lyft; and the increasing amount of data available to both travelers and planners—to create a more equitable and livable greater Portland region and meet the goals in the 2018 Regional Transportation Plan.
The Strategy forecasts how technology is likely to impact progress toward the region’s transportation goals over the coming decades, discusses how transportation agencies can respond in an era of increasingly rapid change and identifies policies and actions that Metro and our partners can take to stay on track to achieve our regional goals as technology continues to develop.