Hop Fastpass® transactions suspended at Plaid Pantry stores

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New and existing Hop cardholders still have access to about 400 partner locations

By Friday, Aug. 20, TriMet riders will no longer be able to purchase new Hop cards or load fare onto Hop cards at any Plaid Pantry convenience stores. This is due to a technical change that Plaid Pantry is making internally. Some stores have already made the change and are unable to conduct Hop transactions.

Riders still have access to about 400 other locations where they can load fare, including Fred Meyer, Safeway, 7-eleven and other stores including more than 60 small businesses throughout our community. TriMet’s Customer Support Center at Pioneer Courthouse Square also sells Hop cards. Customers can manage their Hop account at myhopcard.com or by calling 1-844-MYHOPCARD or 503-238-RIDE (7433). TriMet values our partnership with Plaid Pantry, and we appreciate their efforts to explore options for returning to the Hop retail network.

The safe, quick and easy way to pay

TriMet first began rolling out our Hop in July 2017, long before the COVID-19 pandemic made contactless fare payment systems like Hop more attractive. Hop offers a number of innovative ways to purchase fare. Its basic form is the physical Hop card, which works just like gift card. You load money to the card and then tap it to a Hop reader, to deduct fare when you ride. Hop readers are located on board buses and at the platform for MAX and WES. Tap with every ride and transfer when you use Hop. It’s your proof of payment and shows you have valid fare. With Hop, there’s no need to carry cash, have exact change or stop at a ticket machine.

Loaded with options

In addition to the physical Hop card, there are plenty of options to pay your fare:

Virtual Hop card – Virtual Hop cards are available for both Apple and Android smartphones and can be purchased directly from the Hop mobile app. You can also use the app to convert a physical card to a virtual card. Virtual cards can easily be reloaded using a bankcard, through the Hop app or at myhopcard.com.

Mobile wallet payment – Mobile wallet or contactless credit or debit cards – Hop readers accept payments directly from phones linked to a mobile wallet and contactless credit or debit cards. Simply tap the phone or card to the NFC symbol on the Hop reader to pay fare. You do not need a Hop card or account to use this option.

Hop ticket – Hop paper day passes and 2 ½ hour tickets, embedded with Hop technology, can be purchased with cash or card at ticket vending machines. Even though these cards are not tied to an account and cannot be reloaded, riders need to tap the ticket to a Hop reader before each ride.

Cash on board buses – We still accept cash for 2 ½ hour and day passes at the fare box onboard buses. Riders should use exact change and tell the operator which fare you are purchasing.

Plenty of benefits

Hop is loaded with benefits and can help you save on your transit costs. Here’s how:

  • With Hop, you’ll earn passes as you ride. That means you’ll never pay more than the cost of a day pass for a day of travel, and once you reach the cost of a month pass, the rest of the rides that month are free.
  • By earning passes, you also avoid the upfront cost of buying a day or month pass. Adult riders who previously purchased a month pass for $100 can load funds to their card as needed for trips. Once you reach $100 within a calendar month, the rest of the month’s rides are free!
  • With earned passes, you also avoid paying for rides you don’t take. If you don’t reach the cost of a monthly pass within the month, anything left over can be applied to the next month’s rides.
  • Registered cards come with even more cost-saving benefits. If you happen to lose your card, you can call 1-844-MYHOPCARD to freeze the balance and transfer it to a new card.
  • When a card is registered, it can also be set to auto-load funds to your account from a bankcard, so you can rest assured you will always have fare.

Learn more at myhopcard.com