Portland MAX steps up fare checking, offers smartphone app for tickets

[CHamilton]

The Portland, OR, TriMet system got rid of its free ride zone some time ago, but I've never seen them check for fares downtown before today. People who enter Portland via Amtrak should make sure to get tickets before boarding the MAX light rail system.

The ticket machines at many of the stations are out of order, so if you have a smartphone, you may want to buy your tickets through the new TriMet ticketing app: http://trimet.org/mobiletickets/ Luckily, I had done this today A day pass is only $5, and the app is reasonably easy to use.

I believe that the fare checkers were only writing warnings to out-of-towners, and they were being polite about it, but I have no idea how long it will be before the warning period goes away.

 

[oregon pioneer]

Well, I don't have a smartphone (no cell service where I live, it would be a waste of money for me), but I will make sure next time I go to PDX to have my ticket before I board Max! I suppose if the machine is "out of order" they would allow you to get off at the next stop to buy your ticket?

I do love to take local transit when in Portland, and I especially love the app that works on ANY phone where you can call the number on the bus stop signboard, and put in the stop #, and an automated voice tells you exactly how long you'll have to wait for the next bus to come by! It even knows from the stop # what direction you are traveling, LOL!

 

[CHamilton]

I suppose if the machine is "out of order" they would allow you to get off at the next stop to buy your ticket?

I believe that's what I heard the fare checker say. But it sounded like she was saying that users who wanted to get on at 5th Avenue going southbound were supposed to go to the machine on 6th Avenue northbound (on the other side of the Greyhound station). I certainly wouldn't want to do that while carrying luggage in the middle of a torrential downpour.

 

[Anderson]

Well, and I think if you were cited in a situation like that most judges would be somewhat lenient even if the cops weren't. I know I've seen some VRE case summaries where they ejected citations because machines were down.