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    1. Technology
    2. Fare Collection

    New, returning riders to TriMet’s income-based reduced fare program get a one-month pass for signing up

    July 27, 2022
    With resources from Keep Oregon Moving, TriMet continues to find new ways to support low-income riders with a free pass for unlimited rides for the first month of enrollment.

    New and returning riders to TriMet’s income-based reduced fare program will get a free month of unlimited rides on buses and trains. 

    This year, as a result of COVID-19’s impact on ridership, TriMet has access to an unexpected financial resource: unspent funds from the state of Oregon. These funds, which were distributed to TriMet under Keep Oregon Moving, must be used to help riders with low incomes access transit. 

    Starting in July and for the next two years, TriMet will give every new and re-enrolling participant in the reduced fare program a free, one-month pass. This will offer continued support to the many riders and essential workers who have relied on the system throughout the more than two years of the pandemic’s unprecedented impact, while ensuring the funds serve the members of the community for whom they are intended. 

    A reduced fare for those who qualify based on income 

    TriMet’s reduced fare based on income is available to Oregon residents, ages 18 through 64, who qualify for the Honored Citizen Fare based solely on annual income. The discounted rate is available to people who participate in programs such as Oregon Health Plan (OHP) or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or who earn up to 200 percent of the federal poverty rate. That’s currently about $27,180 per year for an individual and $55,500 for a household of four. Participation grants unlimited rides on TriMet’s fixed-route buses and trains for 50 percent off the cost of a two and a half hour or full-day ride. It caps monthly costs for riding at $28 per month, a $72 discount off the cost of adult fare. 

    Since TriMet began offering income-based reduced fare in 2018, more than 42,000 Oregonians have signed up to ride for less. Participants are required to re-submit documents verifying qualification in the program every two years. 

    TriMet Transit Assistance Pass: How it works 

    Starting in July of 2022, TriMet will grant a one month pass to every new and renewing participant in the program. Identified as the “TriMet Transit Assistance” pass, it will provide a month of rides across the system. The pass will be loaded into the participant’s personalized Hop Fastpass® account once they complete the enrollment process.   

    Riders must tap their Hop card to activate the pass. During the month-long period for which the pass can be used, riders should remember to tap with every ride to show proof of valid fare. The dates that the pass is valid will be displayed in account information that is available at myhopcard.com, the Hop app and by calling. 

    One-time Keep Oregon Moving funds available for use 

    The Keep Oregon Moving Act created the state’s first-ever stable source of funding for public transportation and helped establish TriMet’s low-income fare program. However, with fewer people riding during the COVID-19 pandemic, less funds set aside for the program were used. TriMet is taking advantage of the available funding to provide additional support for people struggling financially. 

    Over the next two years, TriMet will pilot expanded programs with the funding, which will be managed within the current Access Transit Fare Program. The new programs will provide additional resources for individuals who are low income and part of a vulnerable rider group, such as seniors, veterans, college students and people experiencing disabilities.  

    The free month pass for current and re-enrolling participants is the second program to roll out this year. In May, TriMet announced that a portion of the redirected funding would go toward expanding access to transit during summer months for high school-aged students at the 18 school districts within the tri-county district that also participate in the Access Transit High School Program.  

    Although these programs are short-term in nature and meant to serve as pilots to help inform future approaches and efforts, TriMet staff will be working with members of the Committee for Accessible Transportation, the Transit Equity Advisory Committee and others to explore new and different funding strategies that could be used to sustain and grow these efforts in the future.