Fares

Fares, and paying fares

FARES: Trimet Adult fare is $2.80 for 2½ hours no matter where you ride (no more 'zones'). A $5.60 All Day 'ticket' lets you ride till the end of service for that day (after midnight). An All-Day ticket is not a 24-hour ticket - it's only good for the day it is purchased. School Kids and Honored Citizens have nicely reduced fares.

Honored Citizens and Youth pay $1.40 for 2.5 hour boarding window.. Check the Fares link in References for most recent info, and other options.

PAYING: The new Hop card lets you not worry about 2.5 hour vs All-Day tickets. Hop also works for the Portland Streetcar and some of Vancouver's C-TRAN services.

CASH: You can always pay your fare with cash when boarding a bus, but to ride MAX you must have paid your fare before boarding. In addition, some MAX stations are 'secure' -- you must have paid before entering the station's platform. In general, using cash is a hassle. (Other riders will not be amused waiting while you feed five crinkled dollar bills into the fare box, or dig for change.)

Hop Card

Obtain a Hop card from Trimet Ticket Office or or at dozens of other locations.

You can register your HOP card via the website to track usage, check your balance and re-load on line. There is a HOP App for Android and iPhones. (The use of a Digital HOP card not covered here! Sorry.)
Carry the card with you.
Tap your Hop card (or phone) on the reader every time you board a bus or enter a train platform, including when you transfer.
Reload your card using cash or via the web. (Think dollars, not trips or tickets.)
Everything you need to know, including videos of using hop: Tap-and-Go
HOP FAQ.
A hop card can be purchased anonymously for $5 cash, and then loaded with cash in case you are worried about being tracked by Big Brother. Privacy concerns are beyond the scope of this page. Anyone have a good link to where that is discussed?

This is convenient, because you don't have to know ahead of time whether you need to use a 2.5 hour ticket or an all day ticket. If your taps are within the 2.5 hour window, that's all you pay. If a tap is made more than 2.5 hours after your initial tap, the fare for the day is upgraded to a day fare. Same goes for the total amount you might pay in a given month. Here is one way of thinking about it, from Hop's website:

Earn Passes and Save as You Ride (How it works, according to TriMet.)

With Hop, instead of buying passes in advance, you earn them as you go. Pay for two trips in one day with your Hop card or credit card and you'll earn a day pass (ride free the rest of the day). Once you reach the cost of a month pass, you can ride free for the rest of the month (when you pay with your Hop card or virtual Hop card).

The 'earn' notion is probably based on earning tokens in video games, and unlocking achievements to go to the next level.

This rider thinks: With HOP, I move the card out of my billfold (which I always have with me) to a pants pocket any time prior to boarding, and simply tap HOP on boarding, and I am set. If I board my last trip of the day (eg to Home) within 2.5 hours, that's all that is 'paid' - the cost of the first boarding tap.

Honored Citizen Hop Card: For ages 65+, people on Medicare, and people with a disability — You'll need to get a Photo Hop card at Trimet office in Pioneer Courthouse Square. It's $5 the first time you buy one. The card will expire in ~5 years, but they will re-issue for free. (Replacing a lost card costs $5?) Learn more at Trimet's Honored Citizen Page.

Fare Inspectors: Your digital Hop Card be shown on your smart phone. Your HOP Card can be scanned by an inspector, evidently.

A generic hop card can be purchased for $5, and then loaded with credit $ for use by friends when they come to visit and ride with you or solo!

History: Older Sytle Tickets

If you rode Trimet in the past, you may be familiar with older style tickets. Forget about these legacy tickets and get yourself a HOP card! You may also remember the Fareless Square. It was discontinued! Forget about it!