Your TriMet & Portland Public Transportation News Blog

I’ve always been an advocate for more fare inspectors.  Andy Parker over at OregonLive wrote how TriMet needs to squelch the thought that hardly anyone checks fare and get more inspectors on the MAX.  He writes that in Minneapolis, the public transportation system also has a random ticket check system to enforce fares.  But, in Minneapolis, there are many more fare inspectors checking fares.

He also touches on the issue of ticket machines being out of order.  TriMet says that around 10% of their 104 ticket machines are not “fully functioning” at any given moment.

Anyway, a very good read..

Announcing a new & exciting feature for TriMetiquette - a new forum feature! You can access TriMetiquette’s forum on the top navigation.

I’ve created three different sub-forums: MAX discussion, Bus discussion & General Portland public transportation. If you want to talk about the Steel Bridge closure, go to the MAX discussion and talk about your experiences there. Need to know how to get from point A to point B using the bus? Post it in the bus discussion board and see if you get a response. Or if you just want to talk about the overall Portland public transportation scene or anything non-specific, post in the general board.

I know it might take a bit of time for users to start using it, but I really do think having an open community where we can all talk and share our experiences will be positively awesome.

What are you waiting for? Get to the forum, register, and start posting!

TriMetiquette reader Rose sent me this. Although she’s been riding for twenty years with little to no problems, she recalls a particularly bad experience:

“A few months ago, I rode the bus and MAX to a Blazer game from Tigard. Two weeks previously I was hit by an SUV and sustained a concussion, broken ankle, and many bruises. When I got on the bus, it was full. I did my best to balance on one leg without dropping my crutches, but I’m very short so I couldn’t reach the rail. Everyone conveniently looked down at their ipod or phone and pretended not to notice me. At the MAX station, the train was already there, so I had to try and rush to get to it before it departed. There were plenty of seats and I was glad to be able to sit. After about 20 minutes of sitting, the driver announced this train would not be departing, and that another train would come on the other track. I got off the train and went to the other track to wait. The train that came was even more crowded than the bus. By this time I was exhausted from hobbling around on crutches. I stood in the entry way and tried to get close enough to a pole to hold onto but it was too crowded. There was a little boy looking over the back of his seat by me, his father sitting next to him. I asked him if he wanted to sit on his dads lap and let me sit in his seat. He shook his head slowly, then turned back around. His father looked up and shrugged. It was a long ride, over an hour altogether, of balancing on one foot while more and more people pressed against my cast as the train filled to capacity. It makes me sad to think that people just don’t care.”

Indeed Rose, I know what you’re saying. It’s the ‘me, me, me!” attitude that many display when riding public transportation. You really need to be in a mental mindset of, “We’re all in this together” when you’re riding; helping out those who need help, being observant, understanding the situation… I know there are others out there that think this way.

First of all, if you haven’t heard of Muni Manners, it’s “an etiquette blog for the transit savvy.”  While the writers are located in San Francisco, they do talk about “etiquette rules” that any public transportation rider can practice in any city.

Muni Manners is having a photo contest in which you can submit your public transportation photography to possibly be featured on their blog (with photo credit).  Some more info:

“A few rules to keep in mind: we will only consider photos that do not include face shots of people, the photo must be your own, and by submitting it you are giving us permission to use it on www.munimanners.com. Send us your entries by email (sfmunilady01@gmail.com, sfmunilady02@gmail.com) with “Photo Contest” in the subject line, and let us know: your name, city, and name of the transit system in your photo. We don’t host the photos, so you’ll have to upload it somewhere else and submit a link. If you’re using Flickr, Picasa, or another photo-sharing site to host your image, provide us with a link to the image directly and not just to the photo page where it’s displayed.”

I’ve seen a whole heck of a lot of great TriMet photography when browsing some blogs… hopefully we can get some Portland pictures up on their blog 

Saw that The Vanguard, Portland State’s student-run newspaper, has published a TriMet Rider’s Survival Guide.  And I have to say, it’s a fairly good look at the process from finding the bus route you need to exiting the bus.  I’ll have to agree with them on this point:

“Deboarding during the weekday rushes can be a tricky affair more suited for Cirque du Soleil performers than a groggy student with a 15-pound backpack.”

As crazy as that sounds, it can be troublesome to get off a standing-room only bus.  Just, as they say, “be patient with your fellow riders” and you’ll be fine…

You may experience more high schoolers taking buses or MAX in the fall.  This is because of a pilot program that allows Jefferson High School & Franklin High School students to take TriMet for free.  I remember hearing about this student-driven initiative a couple of months ago and I’m glad TriMet has approved a pilot program to see if it makes sense.

I’ve witnessed different behaivors from high school students on the MAX & bus.  They range from the student that wears headphones and listens to music at the level where everyone can hear it and not pay attention to what’s going on around them as well as students who ride and blend in with the rest of the riders.

In any case, I’m sure this will definitely help offset some costs to families that have had to previously shell out $24 for a student-discounted monthly pass.  My question is - how much of an increase in riders will this be during the peak times to ride MAX & the bus in the morning?  I guess we’ll see in the fall..

A TriMetiquette reader contacted me today about trying to locate older TriMet bus rules signs.  Here is the plea for help:

“A week or so ago I emailed Trimet to try and track down an old bus rules sign. Particularly from 1990’s when Trimet’s design colors were burgundy and white. There was a clip art type image of a rider wearing headphones that had a cassette tape where his face should be, to describe the use of headphones while riding, no radios. He was right next to the no smoking and animals in carriers signs. Alas, they have not returned my email, not even to tell me they don’t have it or have no idea what I am talking about. Can you and/ or your readers help me with this?”

I can’t help… can anyone help point this reader in the right direction?

As you know, the steel bridge is currently closed due to MAX Green Line installation.  That being said, now that TriMet has been shuttling MAX passengers from the Old Town stop to the Rose Quarter Transit Center for a couple of days, what are your thoughts on the process?  TriMet has said to plan ahead to spend 15 extra minutes due to this process… is this right on target?  Has it been quicker for you?  Longer?

I’ve avoided riding the MAX altogether and just take the bus exclusively now.  I usually do a 50 / 50 of riding the MAX to bussing it… but I haven’t wanted to hassle with the shuttle situation.

What are your thoughts?

Hawaiian shirts of course!

While you can’t see a Maui Bus operator in there, that individual was wearing a hawaiian shirt.  Kinda cool if you ask me.

Which got me thinking - if TriMet bus & MAX operators had another clothing uniform option, what could they wear that would symbolize Portland?  A rain poncho?  Maybe something with a rose on it?

If you’re planning on taking the MAX in early August, this news is for you:

There’s going to be a MAX service interruption from August 2 to the 24 on the Steel Bridge.  This effects all MAX lines: blue, red & yellow.  During this time, riders will be shuttled from the Rose Quarter Transit Center to the Old Town / Chinatown Station.  The construction taking place is to connect lines & tracks to the MAX Green Line.

More information can be read here.

Plan on allowing 10 or so more minutes in your trip if you plan on taking the MAX through these stops.