To celebrate the opening of the Max Orange Line, TriMet is launching a mobile scavenger hunt – Orange Marks the Spot. The agency kicks off the week-long game Sept. 12, with the grand opening of the Orange Line and Tilikum Crossing, Bridge of the People.
Get the app (update) and get in the game
The game is built into the new version of the TriMet Tickets mobile ticketing app for smartphones. Current app users need to download the app update to play. Don’t have the app? Don’t worry. Go to the iTunes or Google Play app store and download the free app.
Orange Marks the Spot uses beacon technology. A small fixed-location device at participating retailers connects with your smartphone via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) when it is close by. To receive the information from the beacons, set up the following on your phone:
- Make sure Bluetooth is enabled
- Allow the TriMet Tickets app to use your current location
- Allow the app to send notifications, including push notifications
- Accept the game’s terms and conditions
- Create an account, if you are new to the TriMet Tickets app
Explore and collect orange dots to win
Now that the new app with the Orange Marks the Spot game is on your phone, it’s time to explore where the Max Orange Line will take you. Nearly 100 businesses are participating in the game. Just stop at each Orange Line station, open up the TriMet Tickets app and tap on the Orange Marks the Spot game. A map will pop up showing orange spots indicating nearby businesses participating in the game.
When you get to or near a merchant, the beacon sends a notification to your phone. Swipe that and the game automatically checks you in at that spot. You may also see a coupon or special deal from the retailer pop up such as:
- 20 percent off purchase at Laughing Planet Café in Downtown Portland
- A free coffee and cookie from Flying Elephants in South Waterfront
- 10 percent off purchase at the Portland Juice Co. near Southeast Powell Blvd
- Free shoe rental at Kellogg Bowl in Milwaukie
- And much more
There are only a limited number of special coupons.
The game keeps track of how many orange spots you discover, qualifying you for daily drawings for prizes. TriMet will be giving away about 28 prizes a day, each day through Sept. 20. Daily prizes include special edition Tilikum Crossing Nike running shoes, Timbers/Tilikum Crossing scarf, Salt & Straw gift certificates and much more. Three lucky winners will walk away (or ride away) with a grand prize at the end of the game – two roundtrip tickets each anywhere Alaska Airlines flies. All Orange Marks the Spot deals and prizes have been donated by the participating businesses.
Don’t wait. Orange Marks the Spot only runs between Saturday, Sept. 12 and Sunday, Sept. 20, so get the app – or the upgrade – today! And on Sept. 12 all TriMet service is free so no need to buy mobile tickets while playing the game that day!
More Orange Line fun
Orange Marks the Spot is just one of the ways TriMet's celebrating the opening of the Max Orange Line and Tilikum Crossing, Bridge of the People. On opening day, Sept. 12, TriMet, its partners and communities along the Orange Line will hold street fairs and community celebrations.
- Join the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde for a traditional salmon bake and family fun at an interactive Native American village near the foot of Tilikum Crossing in South Waterfront.
- Check out all the booths near the OMSI/SE Water Ave Station on the east side of Tilikum Crossing and try a taste of BridgePort’s Orange Line IPA while enjoying a musical performance courtesy of the Portland Opera, plus so much more.
- Head to the Clinton St/SE 12th Ave Station for a street fair featuring music, art booths and food including Salt & Straw’s Orange Line-inspired ice cream.
- Catch the block party next to the Milwaukie/ Main St Station for more entertainment, food carts and family activities including a dunk tank.
- Explore the SE Park Ave Station and the party atop the station’s Park & Ride, complete with tunes, treats and tons of fun. Even the North Clackamas Parks Recmobile will be there.
Cool game and more
The new TriMet Tickets app update features more than the Orange Marks the Spot game. With our partner, local software developer GlobeSherpa, we’ve given the app a more modern, clean look and functionality.
If you’re new to the TriMet Tickets mobile ticketing app, give it a try while playing the game Sept. 13-20 (remember all TriMet service is free on Sept. 12 so no tickets needed). With the app, buy fares anywhere, at any time and use them right on your phone.
