Whether you just moved to the Portland area, have family visiting, or are leaving the car at home more often, TriMet's fare system is simpler than it looks. One fare covers buses, MAX light rail and WES, you pay by tapping, and the system stops charging you once you've spent the price of a pass. Here's how it works, with prices as of Oct. 2026.

What a ride costs

TriMet sells three kinds of fares, according to its official fares page:

• Adult (ages 18–64): $2.80 for 2½ hours, $5.60 for a Day Pass, $100 for a Month Pass.

• Honored Citizen and Youth: $1.40 for 2½ hours, $2.80 for a day, $28 for a month.

• Children 6 and under ride free with a paying passenger.

Youth fares cover ages 7–17 and high school or GED students. Fares can change, so check the fares page before a big trip.

How to pay

The easiest option for most adults is a contactless bank card or phone wallet. Tap a card with the contactless symbol, or use Apple Pay, Google Pay or Samsung Pay. This method charges the Adult fare only.

A Hop card is TriMet's reloadable fare card, and it's a convenient way to pay reduced fares; seniors 65+ and Medicare riders can also pay the reduced fare in cash on buses or via station tickets. A new card costs $3 at grocery stores or at the Hop machines at MAX and WES stations. You can also add a virtual Hop card to your phone's wallet through the Hop app for $3.

Cash works on buses: tell the operator whether you want a 2½-Hour or 1-Day ticket, feed the farebox, and take your printed ticket. Cash isn't accepted on MAX or WES, so buy and load a Hop card at the station machine instead.

Tap every time you board

Your tap is your proof of payment, so tap each time you get on. On MAX and WES, tap at the reader on the platform before boarding; there are no readers on the trains.

Within 2½ hours of your first tap, you can switch between buses, trains and streetcars as often as you like. A tap after 2½ hours starts a new fare. Your TriMet fare also covers Portland Streetcar and C-TRAN Local and Regional buses at no extra charge. Premium services such as C-TRAN Express may cost more.

Fare capping: you never pay more than a pass

This is the part newcomers love. If you keep paying the same way, TriMet stops charging once you reach the price of a pass:

• Adults tapping a bank card or phone: never more than $5.60 a day or $100 a calendar month.

• Reduced-fare Hop card: never more than $2.80 a day or $28 a month.

Once you hit the daily cap, you ride free until 3 a.m. Once you hit the monthly cap, you ride free for the rest of the month. You don't need to buy a pass up front.

Who rides at the reduced fare

TriMet's Honored Citizen program offers reduced fares to several groups.

No application needed: riders 65 and older and people on Medicare. Carry government-issued photo ID showing your age, or your Medicare card, as proof of eligibility. You may use a reduced-fare Hop card, or pay the Honored Citizen fare with cash on the bus or a ticket from a station machine.

Apply first: people with disabilities; veterans, active-duty military and reservists; and people on the Oregon Health Plan, SNAP or TANF or who meet TriMet's income limits. These riders must apply for and receive a personalized photo ID Hop card before using the reduced fare. Income-based applicants must be 18–64 and live in Oregon; details are on TriMet's low-income fare page, and riders with disabilities can start at the photo ID Hop card page.

Before you ride

• Adults: tap a contactless card or phone and let fare capping do the math.

• Seniors and Medicare riders: use a reduced-fare Hop card, or pay the reduced fare in cash on buses or at station ticket machines. Youth riders can use a reduced-fare Hop card.

• Other reduced-fare riders: apply for a photo ID Hop card first.

• Riding MAX? Tap on the platform before you board when using Hop.

Fares and rules can change. Check trimet.org/fares before you go. This guide doesn't cover TriMet LIFT paratransit, which has its own fares; see TriMet for details.