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Could TriMet become a “free” (or nominally-priced) service, Part 2
Last fall, Portland Transport considered the question of whether or not TriMet could become a free (or nominally-priced) service. Right now, the Farebox Recovery Ratio of the TriMet system in aggregate is about 25%, and last fiscal year fares provided nearly $100 million of TriMet’s overall operating budget. This discussion occurred right after TriMet first…
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Honored Citizen and youth fares: Are they fair?
A discussion of honored citizen and youth fares, and potential alternatives.
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A Peek at the Future of TriMet Fare Collection?
In response to our discussion about the likely recommendation of TriMet’s Fare Task Force, TriMet spokesperson Mary Fetsch passed along a white paper on electronic fare collection (PDF, 581K) that had been prepared at the request of General Manager Neil McFarlane. Before commenting on the very interesting contents of the document, I want to provide…
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TriMet: Simplification or Fare Increase?
Joe Rose at the Oregonian is reporting that a TriMet fare task force may will recommend doing away with zones, and prohibiting using transfers for return trips (transfers would only work in one direction). While I’m a big proponent of keeping things simple, this proposal does not excite me. Beyond potential equity issues (I honestly…
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Could TriMet become a “free” (or nominally-priced) service?
There’s been discussion lately about the fare structure of Portland’s transit agencies–both the Streetcar and TriMet itself. Much focuses on the current disconnect between Streetcar pricing (currently a sweetheart deal, especially for Streetcar users who don’t use TriMet-badged services) and the rest of the system. TriMet’s fares are currently above the national average. So here’s…