TriMet News

TriMet News

  • 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!

  • TriMet names artist selected to create a Tribute Wall at Hollywood Transit Center

    Artist to lead team in transforming transit center to honor May 26th attack victims and survivors, in response to outpouring of community support

    The attack on a MAX train pulling into the Hollywood Transit Center on May 26, 2017 forever changed lives and deeply affected TriMet and our community. Now the efforts to honor the lives lost, the strength of those who stood up to hate and the emotional outpouring in the days after the attack are moving forward with the selection of an artist to create a Tribute Wall.

    Conceptual rendering subject to change

    Sarah Farahat will lead a team of artists to transform nearly 2,000 feet of wall space at the Hollywood Transit Center into a vibrant tribute reflecting the spirit of the heartfelt messages and images that family, friends and strangers had created on the walls in the wake of the incident. After reviewing concepts from four finalists on Wednesday, Jan. 31, the Hollywood Transit Center Tribute Wall Advisory Committee chose Farahat and her team to complete the project. Farahat provided a conceptual rendering for the Tribute Wall; however, she and her team will receive input from the advisory committee and impacted family members in creating the final design.

    Conceptual rendering subject to change

    “I am deeply honored that the committee and TriMet have entrusted this project into our care. I look forward to sharing more about the project in the coming weeks after speaking in depth with the review committee. I have a very committed team of artists, educators and activists that will come together in the next few months to not only create a beautiful memorial, but also to cultivate further understanding across differences to celebrate our city’s richly diverse cultural heritage, and to demonstrate the fierce love that Portlanders are learning to show for each other in these difficult times.”

    About Farahat

    Sarah Farahat is an interdisciplinary Egyptian American artist and educator holding a B.A. in Psychology from Occidental College in Los Angeles, California, a B.F.A. in Intermedia Studies from Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland, Oregon and an M.F.A. in Interdisciplinary Fine Art from California College of the Arts in San Francisco, California. Her work, grounded in grassroots activism, explores the location of the body within sociopolitical landscapes.

    Hollywood Transit Center tributes

    TriMet has planned two tributes at the Hollywood Transit Center but is slowing the timeline for a plaque to commemorate those at the center of the May 26 attack. While initially planned to for completion and unveiling on the one year anniversary of the attack, more time is needed to develop the most appropriate design and message. TriMet does not want to rush a tribute that is so important  to us, the community, the families of the men who died and those who survived that day. Once fully developed, the plaque will be part of a permanent tribute at the Hollywood Transit Center.

    Work on the tribute wall got underway in April. The wall art will be completed before the end of the year.  While it will last longer than the original chalk messages, this tribute wall is meant to be temporary due to plans to redesign and redevelop the aging transit center in the coming years.

  • New law gives TriMet authority to offer some fare evaders a second chance to stay out of court system

    HB 2777 reinforces TriMet’s commitment to bring equity to fare/code enforcement

    Oregon Governor Kate Brown signed House Bill 2777 last week, clearing the way for TriMet to pursue new options that give individuals the opportunity to correct their behavior when cited for violations of the TriMet Code, including fare evasion. HB 2777 grants transit districts the authority to offer a new, administrative option for resolving citations. Read the text of HB 2777.

    Currently, citations, including fare evasion, must be resolved through the courts. They can leave a permanent mark on a violator’s record that could affect their ability to get a job, rent property or serve in the military. That can be a severe penalty for not buying a $2.50 fare. HB 2777 provides a framework to make the system more equitable and bring the punishment in line with the offense.

    “This law is about proportionality,” said Sen. Michael Dembrow (D) of Portland, one of the bill’s chief sponsors. “It gives TriMet new, less punitive tools to enforce fare evasion and other code violations.”

    However, riders should not see this as a change to TriMet’s rules. Fares remain required on all TriMet vehicles and those who choose not to pay or repeatedly evade fare will be held accountable. Also, we continue working to increase fare enforcement on the transit system.

    How we got here

    TriMet began a thorough review of the fare enforcement process in 2016. We collaborated with Portland State University and other organizations to learn how our enforcement process affects the community. We wanted to understand the underlying causes of fare evasion and what we could do to improve our enforcement efforts.

    Portland State issued a report in December that found no evidence of systemic racial bias in TriMet’s fare enforcement, but it recommended a closer look at factors like health and economics as precursors to fare evasion, especially for chronic offenders. It also called for a review of enforcement policies to ensure fairness.

    Fairness in accountability

    HB 2777 gives TriMet the authority to offer alternatives for some who violate TriMet’s Code. Under the law, TriMet can provide violators up to 90-days to engage in an administrative process that could reduce the fine or allow community service to resolve the citation. If resolved during this period, TriMet would not submit the citation to the court, which means the violation would not become part of a person’s court record. When the 90-day window closes, TriMet could still pursue unresolved violations through the court system.

    “TriMet strives to be a model in the equitable application of its rules and response to violations,” said TriMet Director of Diversity and Transit Equity John Gardner. “Our aim is to get people to pay their fare, not unnecessarily funnel them into the judicial system.”

    “We continually see data that shows that when people are given the chance to rectify their mistakes in a manner that acknowledges their humanity that they are much less likely to reoffend,” said Rep. Chris Gorsek (D) of Troutdale, who advocated for the legislation. “That’s what this bill does; it brings some compassion back into the process.”

    What’s next?

    TriMet’s Board of Directors will have to enact an ordinance to authorize the administrative options permitted by HB 2777. In the months ahead, TriMet will work with community partners to determine who qualifies, how to adjust fines, and which community service options to offer. We hope to have the administrative options in place when the new law takes effect on January 1, 2018.

  • Independent analysis finds no systemic racial bias in TriMet fare enforcement

    Agency pursues opportunities to improve equity of overall fare enforcement efforts including making violations less punitive

    TriMet has completed the most in-depth evaluation ever of our fare enforcement practices and according to an independent third-party analysis there is no evidence of systemic racial bias. We do, however, intend to use the report to make changes we believe will improve the equity of our fare enforcement efforts. The findings revealed a growing fare evasion rate, a need for more fare enforcement and opportunities to make consequences less punitive while still providing an effective incentive for riders to have appropriate fare.

    No systemic bias, repeat offenders pose a challenge

    TriMet heard concerns from the community that our fare enforcement actions were “uneven” across races and ethnicities. Working with the TriMet Board of Directors, our Transit Equity Advisory Committee and the community – we took an in-depth look at our fare enforcement program.

    View TriMet’s guiding principles for fare enforcement program
    today reported

    That extensive review included an onboard survey to determine the demographics of our riders as well as a fare evasion study to understand who is riding without paying, how often and why. That survey showed an overall 14.5 percent fare evasion rate, which includes those without fare, expired transfers or inappropriate fare. To get a holistic view, we reached out to the community and our customers through listening sessions and an electronic survey of riders for their thoughts and feelings on our fare enforcement including whether people of color are treated fairly. TriMet then engaged Portland State University’s (PSU) Criminal Justice Policy Research Institute for an independent analysis to determine whether racial/ ethnic disparities exist in TriMet fare enforcement outcomes and, if so, what are the contributing factors.

    The reports key conclusions:

    1. No systemic bias. “Conclusion 1: Differences between the fare evasion survey results and enforcement outcomes are small and indicate little disparity. Thus, it does not appear TriMet fare enforcement on the MAX is systemically biased towards certain races and ethnicities; however the elevated percentage of African American riders being excluded should be examined more closely.”
    1. Repeat violators pose challenge. “Conclusion 2: Repeat violations (i.e. getting caught without fare/improper fare more than once in the two years of data) comprise 25.5% of all enforcement incidents and 36% of African American incidents. This percentage appears high and represents a unique challenge for TriMet fare enforcement.”
    1. Continued assessment. “Conclusion 3: Although there were two positive significant relationships in the adult analysis, the size of the relationship and difference between significance and insignificance was relatively small enough that the results are unlikely based on a systemic bias in TriMet fare enforcement, future studies should continue to assess these relationships.”

    View the PSU Criminal Justice Policy Research Institute analysis

    Changing enforcement approach

    While PSU’s Criminal Justice Policy Research Institute found no across the board bias in TriMet’s fare enforcement actions, it revealed opportunities for improvement as we strive to have enforcement that is equitably applied and not overly punitive, but that changes unwanted behavior.

    “When it comes to fare enforcement, we do not want to set people on a path that puts them into the judicial system, rather we want practices that motivate riders to pay their fare,” said TriMet Chief Operating Officer Doug Kelsey.

    We looked to our colleagues and reviewed fare enforcement practices across other transit systems including Dallas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, Phoenix, Buffalo, and San Francisco.  We are now pursuing a number of initiatives including:

    • Seeking legislative authority to pilot an administrative option that will allow first-time violators to pay a reduced fine prior to the citation being forwarded to the court.
    • Evaluating a community service option that could be used in lieu of payment.
    • Researching the feasibility of a new regional Low Income Fare program.
    • Bringing exclusion hearings in-house.
    • Expediting the exclusion modification process by granting the Administrator and the Hearings Officer the authority to grant exclusion modifications.
    • Expanding the amount of fare inspections on our system.
    • Conducting a review of staffing levels to determine additional personnel needs.
    • Increasing training for TriMet personnel who conduct enforcement, on de-escalation practices, cultural competency and mental health issues.
    • Creating an awareness campaign to increase customer education of fare requirements, consequences for violations and options for requesting an exclusion modification.
    • Continuing coordination with jurisdictional partners on consistent application of TriMet Code.

    “With the findings of our in-depth evaluation into past fare enforcement practices and with the new initiatives underway, I am confident we will continue to ensure TriMet’s fare enforcement efforts are both effective and as fair as possible for all of our riders,” said Kelsey.