T.A. Barnhart of BlueOregon wrote a very compelling argument against TriMet’s upcoming fare increase in September. He has also observed the increase in ridership many of us have personally seen ourselves - be it with our bus we usually take getting more & more full each week or MAX trains being packed more than ever.
Very nicely presented.. definitely worth a read if you’re interested in reading a well-written argument against TriMet’s September fare increase plans.
4 comments ↓
Good points. On the 12 I have seen the bus pass the last mile of pickups because it was so full. Thankfully there are at least 5 other lines for that last mile or so on barbur that come frequently.
What has always amazed me is that tri-met doesn’t measure their traffic very well. for example, when people use a bus pass, tri-met doesn’t record it. This is valuable information that could be used to dynamically add a line where needed…
As for price increases, it’s inevitable, and I don’t whine because I know it’s going to get much worse before it gets better.
T.A. mentioned that he felt Tri-Met isn’t being fiscally responsible. I agree. It’s worth mentioning that part of being fiscally responsible is enforcing fares and the smoking ban. When Tri-Met chooses to ignore such things they are passing up dollars from fines that could be used to buy such things as fuel.
indy, TriMet busses and max trains have automatic passenger counters at the doorways. They do have the total passenger counts and the info is downloaded daily.
Kevin, TriMet gets no revenue from those citations. That money goes to the courts and to local government general funds.
Leave a Comment