Portland-area TriMet considers raising rider fares in 2024

By April Ehrlich (OPB)
Dec. 8, 2022 8:17 p.m.

TriMet is considering raising its fares for the first time in more than a decade.

The Portland-area transportation system is collecting public feedback as it considers raising rider fees for 2024.

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TriMet says its bus drivers should no longer deny fare evaders access to the bus.

Fares for this Trimet route, shown in this 2020 file photo, and all others could go up in 2024. The Portland area transit agency is considering increasing rider fares for the time in decades.

Alan Sylvestre / OPB

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The fee increases range from 15 to 60 cents for various types of tickets, including adult and youth day passes and two-hour tickets. Monthly and annual pass prices would remain the same.

The TriMet Board of Directors will hear the first reading of the fare increase proposal in late April and it’ll take a vote the next month.

TriMet says the fee increase is meant to address rising costs associated with inflation and other operating costs.

TriMet officials this year have said the agency is struggling with a historic labor shortage. Its MAX Light Rail service is frequently delayed due to operator shortages. TriMet has also had to make changes to 10 of its bus lines.

To help alleviate the staffing shortages, the agency this summer began offering incentives to applicants, including a $7,500 signing bonus and starting pay from $21.36 to $25.24 an hour.

The agency has hit other bumps in the road this year, including having to remove its new articulated buses just two months after their launch due to a “fleet-wide mechanical issue.” The first FX bus line was part of TriMet’s $175 million Division Transit Project, which also invests in several safety improvements, like protected intersections and new sidewalks.

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