Peeved about ticket machines being broken?

I know the site has been around awhile now… but my Mem Mem IMed me to tell me all about it.  And if she IMs me about it, being a non-TriMet rider, then I know that it’s getting some good exposure.  TriMet Down.

Apparently she heard about it on the news last night and wondered why TriMetiquette hasn’t been on the news.

How dare she.

In any case, everyone who rides TriMet knows that a ticket machine that actually works is as infrequent as a snow day in Portland.  So I’m glad that TriMet Down has gotten some press and exposure.

Keep up the good work!

Upgrading 2 zone pass to all-zone for the day is cumbersome for MAX riders

Simply put – there isn’t an easy way to upgrade your 2 zone monthly pass to an all-zone pass if you’re riding the MAX and going more than two zones. If you’re purchasing fair properly: if you had a monthly 2 zone pass and were in need of an all-zone ticket for the day, you would need to pay $0.30 for an upgrade.

That being said, essentially the only way you can upgrade is visiting a TriMet ticket office… which is really only fine if you’re near one. And by boarding a bus, paying the $0.30 upgrade, getting a ticket and deboarding. TriMet ticket machines had this functionality years ago – to pay for an upgrade – but eliminated it.

TriMetiquette reader Jerry emailed me to voice his frustration over this process:

“I regularly purchase a Trimet 2-Zone pass. The majority of my trips are in zone 1 and 2 except on occasion (3 or 4 times a month round trip) I travel outside Zone 2. The process by which to upgrade ones bus pass to an all zone is cumbersome for a strictly Max train rider. Since upgrades may only be purchased by boarding a bus, one must get off the train board a bus, get the upgrade, de-board the bus then board the train. This generally causes me to miss my connection and adds to my travel time. Upgrades are no longer a choice in the ticket machines at the Max stations. I am told this feature was removed years ago because it made the machines unreliable. This sets up an in-equality within the TriMet system. In some cases, you are forced into purchasing an additional fare to avoid the risk of getting a citation from a fare inspector. With all of the money from various sources that is poured into TriMet, I think this is something they should bring back to the ticket machines. An upgrade is .30 cents. This is quite a difference from the cost of another fare on top of the cost of a monthly 2-zone ticket.”

While this may not be a huge issue for many, it’s still an issue for some.