
TriMet fare enforcers issued fewer citations for people riding without a ticket in April than in any month in the last five years.
TriMet board member Ozzie Gonzalez didn't give the exact number during at a Wednesday morning board meeting, but said there had been a âdramaticâ recent drop. (The Mercury has submitted a records request for this data).
He said the reduction in citations could likely be attributed in part to TriMetâs general drop in ridershipâduring the week of May 10, ridership was down 67 percent compared to February 2020, before the pandemic began.
But Gonzalez noted that âthe approach of the fare enforcersâ has changed in recent months. He called that change âfare informing, not fare enforcing.â
While the agency isnât ceasing its fare enforcement practices, TriMet is offering more leeway to some riders. TriMet General Manager Doug Kelsey said at Wednesdayâs meeting that TriMetâs fare enforcement is âvery much more of an education process right now.â
Thereâs particular flexibility for riders accustomed to using cash to pay for their fares. TriMet suspended the use of cash on its buses in March, citing health and safety concerns as the reason for doing so. The agency now faces a lawsuit which claims it violated state law by not involving members of the public in that decision.
Now, the only way for people to pay fares onboard is by using a Hop card from TriMetâs electronic ticket system.
âMany people didnât have time to get a Hop card before [suspension of cash payments] went into effect,â TriMet spokesperson Roberta Altstadt wrote in an email to the Mercury. âTriMet bus operators, who are directed to be fare informers not enforcers, have let riders surprised to see the farebox blocked off, ride without paying until they could get a Hop card.â
It's unclear whether the âfare informingâ paradigm is being used in other situations aboard TriMet buses and MAX trains. During a public comment period at the beginning of Wednesdayâs meeting, several commenters said they were concerned TriMet wasnât being transparent about its current fare enforcement priorities.
Richa Poudyal, the advocacy director at local transportation advocacy organization the Street Trust, told the board that they should âlet [riders] know that fare enforcement is not a priority right now.â
Gabriela SaldaĂąa-LĂłpez, an organizer with local environmental advocacy organization OPAL, said that the leeway given to riders without Hop cards âis not clearly stated.â
âPeople are hurting right now,â SaldaĂąa-LĂłpez added. âTwo dollars and fifty cents is not something people can even afford right now.â
Kelsey addressed these concerns later in the meeting.
âThis is not a free transit system right now,â Kelsey said. âThe enforcement side has been trying to be educational [about Hop cards] ⌠Yes, we know many people are struggling. We do have the low-income fare program.â
âThe citationsâthere are some examples where those tools need to be available,â Kelsey added. âWe have been softer on communications, because this is not intended to be a âPlease come ride for free.ââ
Kathy Wai, another TriMet board member, suggested at Wednesdayâs meeting that fare enforcement citations could be put on hold until the pandemic ends. This move has already been made by transit agencies across the country, including C-Tran in Vancouver, Washington.
âA lot of our transit dependent folks really have no option else,â Wai said. âEssential workers, many of them have to keep taking transit to be the backbone of our pandemic response right now⌠Having additional stressors of having someone coming up to you and questioning payment, and going through the citation process, can be very detrimental.â
Kelsey said fare revenue is necessary for TriMet to continue to provide its current level of service, and increase service in the future. TriMet recently received $185 million from a federal COVID-19 relief package, but there are restrictions on how those funds can be used.
âThe string of enforcement and collecting revenue is our financial oxygen,â Kelsey said. âBut we want to do so in a delicate and reasonable manner.â
TriMetâs proposed 2021 budget includes funds for hiring eight new security workers who will be able to perform fare checks. The budget needs to be passed by July 1, and TriMet will hold community budget sessions in June.