Download TriMet`s New Electronic Fare System Doesn`t Serve Riders

TriMet’s New Electronic Fare System
Doesn’t Serve Riders
TriMet Wants
Bus Riders Need
A low-income fare to make this
new system accessible.
A multimillion-dollar e-fare system that
effectively excludes low-income riders.
A $3 fee for the card that each rider
needs to use the e-fare system.
A $5 minimum e-fare purchase, per
card.
$3
per card,
per person
$5
minimum
purchase
A free card for e-fare users during
an initial rollout period, which
multiple riders can share.
A single 2.5-hour Adult fare (or
cost equivalent) minimum purchase.
E-fare purchases only online with a bank
account or at a limited network of
private businesses.
Expanded e-fare payment options
within ¼ mile of transit stops and at
public facilities.
E-fare cards that cannot go negative.
Riders who lose track of their e-fare
balance may be left stranded.
E-fare cards that may temporarily
go negative up to the price of a
single Adult fare.
Registration of e-fare cards that
includes personal information and tracks
travel behavior.
Clear limits on the collection and
use of personal information.
Enforcement and security policies that
lack fairness, transparency, and
accountability.
An end to profiling in enforcement
and a meaningful public process
to establish new procedures.
A
Changes are Coming to TriMet’s Fare System in 2017
TriMet is about to roll out an electronic fare-collection system e-fare for short , giving
transit riders the option of using a prepaid fare card instead of a paper ticket. Instead of
showing the bus driver a pass or getting a ticket, riders will tap a plastic card against a
reader and have the fare deducted automatically. Smartphone users will be able to
continue using TriMet’s mobile ticketing app.
Elimination of Passes: Because of BRU’s advocacy, cash will still temporarily be accepted
on transit for day passes and 2.5 hour transfers. Paper monthly passes will be replaced
with spending caps on your e-fare card. Once you’ve spent the equivalent of a day pass ($5)
or monthly pass ($100), your card will stop charging you when you tap it for the rest of the
day/month. Riders who cannot use e-fare will not receive this important benefit.
Card Cost and Access: Each e-fare card will cost $3, and each rider will need their own
card. In addition, you must purchase at least $5 worth of e-fare at a time for each card. If
the balance on your card is too low to pay your fare, and you don’t have $5 or access to a
retail outlet, you must pay cash for a single fare. This cash purchase will not count towards
daily or monthly fare caps. If a family of five is traveling together, they need to pay $15 for
e-fare cards (5 x $3), plus a minimum e-fare purchase of $25 (5 x $5), and must keep track
of the balance on each card. This is a hardship for low-income families, especially with
young children. A free card for e-fare users during the initial rollout period and the ability
to pay for multiple riders with a single card will help avoid or mitigate these hardships.
Retail Locations: TriMet has contracted with a limited number of private retail outlets like
Fred Meyer and Safeway to provide e-fare services. However, many common retail stores—
like Plaid Pantry—are not included. This network is confusing and poorly distributed.
People will have to know which retail locations offer e-fare services, and will often have to
walk a mile or more to load their card and get back to their bus stop. The current network
also includes payday loan service centers, which have a predatory business model that
exploit people with limited income. The network would serve riders more adequately if
retail outlets were within 1/4 mile of all transit stops, and if the network included public
facilities such as schools, libraries, post offices, and social service agencies.
Negative Balance: TriMet currently refuses to allow us a negative balance on our cards.
Riders with limited disposable income or those who live in areas without easy access to
retail outlets are more likely to miss critical connections due to insufficient fare. Allowing
riders to go negative by the cost of a single adult fare would avoid or mitigate this concern.
Rider Privacy and Enforcement: If a card is registered to one person, the information
could be used to track when and where they are traveling. This could give law, immigration
or private enforcement officers invasive, unjustified information as to the whereabouts of
riders. In a fare enforcement situation, immigration status and any unrelated criminal
records could be accessible.
Low-income Fare: Riders also need a single reduced fare for honored citizens, youth, and
low-income riders. The transition to e-fare provides a unique opportunity to do this.