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TriMet may have been an innovator as far as putting service information (i.e. schedules, maps, etc.) on the world wide web, but look at the difference in information made available to you (without a lot of searching) from Los Angeles MTA (aka Metro). And talk about a reasonable mission statement for a transit agency...
 On their home page. Imagine interaction with the public in a positive manner as opposed to just spitting out PR puff pieces all day long:
Take our poll: how was Metro service on New Year’s Eve and Day?
Posted by Steve Hymon on January 2, 2014 9:36 am
The Gold Line’s Memorial Park station on New Year’s Day morning. Photo by Dave Sotero/Metro. Take Our Poll As has been the case the past few years, many people used Metro on New .. 

The problem, though, Jack, is that this isn't an IT problem, it's a PR problem. All of TriMet's PR folks (Roberta Altstadt, Mary Fetsch, and whichever other "temporary" lackey they hire for the day) don't want to have to engage with the public. All they want to do is spin what the media (both new and old) report, and sometimes with flawed/skewed facts INSTEAD of educating the public through responses to issues that are aired in the media. TriMet does not engage riders through social media (other than superfluous stuff that doesn't matter to anyone). Heck, the PR department has their own website that they could harness in the same manner as the Metro site (linked) does to engage riders. Maybe instead of hiring managerial level folks for PR, they should hire some front line folks to engage the public and answer questions and fulfill an educational role.

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