TriMet Deliberately Taking It Slow On Adopting Fastpass

TriMet, which is changing the way people can pay to ride the bus and train by adopting the Hop Fastpass Program, says the program launched last week.

The program - which allows people to pay with a fare card at train stations and on buses - is starting with 250 participants.

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"it marks a significant shift in the way our region uses transit," says TriMet. "Hop is a thoroughly modern system designed to make paying fare easier and more convenient."

Hop Fastpass is being developed by TriMet after exploring systems in cities such as Seattle and Los Angeles.

"We've talked with these systems and others, and have tried to take their best traits and combine them into one great system," says TriMet spokeswoman Angela Murphy.

Unlike other cities with electronic fares, Hop Fastpass is account-based where all the users’ information is securely stored in the back-end system, not actually on the card. It also will provide pay-as-you-go benefits for our riders, known as fare-capping."

Murphy says they will evaluate how the system works and what changes, if any, are necessary before expanding the program.

The agency says that if people want to try Hop sooner, people can sign up for emails at myhopcard.com.

They will be adding test participants every couple weeks and rolling out new features like single-use tickets, compatibility with mobile wallets like Apple Pay and Android Pay, and the official Hop app.

TriMet hopes to have the program fully operational this summer.

Photo TriMet