Fares

  • What you need to know about TriMet fares: Some increase Jan. 1, 2024, but month passes/caps remain the same

    Day Passes, Single Ride and 2 ½- Hour Tickets increase, monthly fares and caps for riders using Hop Fastpass™ cards do NOT increase

    Spanish version

    TriMet wants to remind riders that some fares will increase on Jan. 1, 2024, but frequent riders who pay using Hop Fastpass™ cards and ride enough to earn a Month Pass will not experience an increase. That’s because the TriMet’s Board of Directors chose to keep the monthly Hop passes/caps at the current rate when they approved the 2024 increase to some fares back in May 2023. Adult, Honored Citizen reduced fare and Youth Day Passes and 2 ½-Hour Tickets will go up, along with LIFT paratransit Single Ride Tickets. This is the first increase in TriMet’s base Adult Fare in more than a decade.

    The changes are anticipated to increase TriMet’s fare revenue by about $5.3 million annually, and that amount is expected to increase as service expands and ridership rebounds in the years ahead. The revenue will help stabilize TriMet’s financial future and allow for the rollout of our Forward Together service plan, developed with the community, to increase bus service by more than 30% from pandemic levels. The service expansion will give more people more access to transit service, especially those with lower incomes, so they can reach jobs and other important destinations.

    Here’s a look at the fares that increase on Jan. 1, 2024:

    Adult:

    • 2 ½-Hour Ticket: up 30 cents to $2.80
    • Day Pass: up 60 cents to $5.60

    Honored Citizen reduced fare:

    • 2 ½-Hour Ticket: up 15 cents to $1.40
    • Day Pass: up 30 cents to $2.80

    Youth:

    • 2 ½-Hour Ticket: up 15 cents to $1.40
    • Day Pass: up 30 cents to $2.80

    LIFT paratransit:

    • Single Ride Ticket: up 30 cents to $2.80

    And here are the fares that will NOT increase Jan. 1, 2024, for riders using a Hop card:

    Adult:

    • Monthly Pass capped at $100

    Honored Citizen reduced fare:

    • Monthly Pass capped at $28

    Youth:

    • Monthly Pass capped at $28

    While monthly limits stay the same, the increase in daily fares means riders will reach the pass caps sooner and the rest of the rides that month will be free.

    Currently, after 20 Adult Day Passes are purchased within a calendar month, the $100 cap for a Month Pass is reached and the rest of the rides that month are free. 
Beginning Jan. 1, 2024, after 18 Adult Day Passes are purchased within a calendar month, the $100 cap for a Month Pass is reached and the rest of the rides that month are free.
    Currently, after 12 Honored Citizen or Youth Day Passes are purchased within a calendar month, the $28 cap for a Month Pass is reached and the rest of the rides that month are free. 
Beginning Jan. 1, 2024, after 10 Honored Citizen or Youth Day Passes are purchased within a calendar month, the $28 cap for a Month Pass is reached and the rest of the rides that month are free.

    More people now qualify for reduced fare

    More people now qualify for our Honored Citizen Reduced fare, and some may not even know it. In addition to those over 65 years of age, people with disabilities and those who qualify based on income level, active and former military members can ride for less – half the cost of adult daily fares and unlimited rides for just $28 a month. That’s a 72% savings over our Adult monthly fare.. People can find out if they qualify for Honored Citizen reduced fare at trimet.org/honoredcitizen.  

    First increase in base fare since September 2012 

    TriMet’s January 2024 change to daily Adult fares will represent a 12% increase and the first in our base fare since 2012. Over the last decade, people have paid more for everything, from fuel to groceries to basic services and products. Among those, water fees jumped by more than 110%, sewer rates went up more than 50% and garbage collection fees rose by more than 20%.  

    TriMet has also seen our expenses increase as well. The cost of tires for our buses has gone up 30% in the past decade. The average cost for a gallon of fuel was 18% higher in the past year than in fiscal year 2018, and since mid-2021, we’ve seen a 10%-25% increase in prices for many of the parts and components for our buses and trains. 

    TriMet is helping people afford the ride

    Since July 2018, when TriMet expanded the reduced fare program to those making up to 200% of the federal poverty level, more than 53,000 people have signed up. Learn more at trimet.org/income.

    Since 2013, TriMet’s Access Transit programs have provided fare assistance and fare relief grants to eligible 501(c)(3) nonprofit and community-based organizations. We give more than 150 organizations fares at a reduced cost or at no cost, so they can get them into the hands of those who need them. Since 2015, TriMet has provided those community partners with more than $15.3 million in fares. Learn more at trimet.org/accesstransit

    While TriMet’s Youth fare, for those ages 7 through 17, is half the cost of an Adult fare, we also provide high school students free or discounted fares. Learn more at trimet.org/summerpass. Youth age 6 and under ride free with an accompanying adult. 

    TriMet provides LIFT paratransit service for those who are unable to use our fixed-route service. The amount riders pay ($2.80 per ride beginning Jan. 1, 2024) is much lower than the actual operating cost of the ride ($79.93 per ride, Oct. 2023). TriMet also charges a reduced rate for LIFT rides lower than required by the federal government.

  • Major retailers continue selling paper tickets as Hop Fastpass™ rollout continues

    Learn about the ease and benefits that come with switching to Hop

    Major retail outlets that sell TriMet fares will continue to sell traditional paper tickets and passes into the summer as TriMet increases the marketing and education about Hop Fastpass™ transit fare cards. We heard from riders who are unclear about Hop and how it works so TriMet will be spending the coming months talking about all the ways to pay with Hop, how easy it is to use and the benefits you get with Hop that you don’t get with paper fares. TriMet will look to set a date later this spring for the transition away from paper fare sales at major retailers.

    Hop is just as easy as paper, just tap for every ride

    Hop is a new transit fare card that you use on TriMet, C-TRAN and Portland Streetcar. Just like traditional paper tickets and passes, use your Hop card to pay for your ride.

    Go to one of the hundreds of convenient retail locations that sell TriMet fares (such as Fred Meyer and Safeway). Instead of getting a book of paper tickets or a paper month pass, get a Hop card and load money on it. The Hop card costs $3. That is a one-time fee unless the card is lost or destroyed. Then you will need to purchase a replacement card.

    Pay your fare by tapping your Hop card (or phone tied with a mobile wallet) on the green Hop reader every time you board. Readers are located at MAX, WES and Vine stations and on board buses and streetcars. The system automatically deducts the cost of the ride from the user’s balance.

    Hop brings benefits that paper tickets do not

    The system gives you the best fare so you save as you ride.
    Get the savings of a day or month pass without the upfront cost of a pass. For an Adult, a month pass is $100. With Hop you can avoid that upfront cost and pay as you go!

    • Use the Hop card for two trips—more than 2½ hours apart—in one day and earn a day pass, which gives you free rides the rest of that day.
    • Paying with the Hop card, reach the cost of a month pass and ride free the rest of the month.

    Don’t waste money on fare you don’t use.

    • With a paper month pass, if you don’t end up riding 20 days in a month you end up wasting money. With the Hop card, you only pay for the rides you take.
    • With a paper day pass, if you don’t end up riding twice in the day more than 2 ½ hours apart, you’re out money. Again with the Hop card, you only pay for the rides you take.

    Easily reload money just about anywhere, anytime.

    • At the Customer Service desk (or, in the future, at the checkout lane) at a growing number of stores. At any Plaid Pantry convenience store, reload with cash only.
    • Online at myhopcard.com, using the Hop Fastpass app (download free from Google Play and iTunes) or by calling 1-844-MYHOPCARD.
    • Set up auto-load (requires card registration).

    Enjoy lost-card protection.

    • Hop is account-based, which means the value is stored in the user’s account rather than the card itself. If the card is registered, and the user reports a lost card, the balance in the account is protected and the user must pay only for a replacement card. Replacement cards can be purchased at any participating retailer.
    • It is important to report a lost or stolen card as soon as possible, so the card can be deactivated. If the card is registered, you can deactivate it yourself online.

    More retailers are getting on board with Hop.

    • TriMet has grown its network of retail outlets from a little more than 100 in 2016 to more than 350 today – a first for a transit agency of TriMet’s size.
    • TriMet is partnering with even more stores to increase that number to 500 locations where you can sell and load money on Hop cards.

    Hop has many convenient ways to pay

    • Hop card: Purchase a Hop card at a local retailer or ticket office and load money on to it.
    • Contactless credit/debit card: Tap your contactless credit or debit card (with near field communication).
    • Mobile wallet: Pay your fare with a bankcard stored in an Android Pay, Apple Pay or Samsung Pay mobile wallet. While a great option for less frequent riders including tourists and visitors, users can only buy an Adult fare and do not get all the benefits of a Hop card.
    • Hop virtual card in Android Pay: TriMet is beta testing the ability for riders with Android Pay to buy a virtual card and store it in their mobile wallet – making Hop the first transit fare card in the world available in Android Pay. Beta testers are able to tap their phone to a Hop reader and get all the benefits of a physical Hop card. Stay tuned for the rollout timeline of this new payment feature.

    Learn more about the ease and benefits of Hop.

    Wondering about your Hop data?

    The Hop system collects anonymous ridership and travel pattern data for use in aggregate to look at broad ridership trends. Individual transaction data, such as where a person’s card was tapped and when, is only available to support staff to answer customer questions about their account.

    About Hop

    Hop is the next generation of transit fare, offering a cash-free, hassle-free option that’s valid throughout the Portland-Vancouver metro area. Hop Fastpass – a better way to pay!