One of the best aspects of Portland's transit system is that all rides within downtown are free - at any time and on any mode of public transportation. Free transit is definitely effective when reducing the number of short-distance car trips in the Fareless Square and promotes the use of transit (and that's one of the reasons why the Fareless Square was adopted in 1975).
The Fareless Square means anyone is welcome to ride the trains and buses. Recently, the negative aspects of free transit have become more apparent. TriMet has been experiencing "disruptive and undesirable behavior" on its light rail trains, especially within the Fareless Square. Last week, TriMet held a series of public workshops about limiting the hours of free transit. Receiving over 700 comments, the agency decided that instead of reducing the hours of (or even eliminating) the Fareless Square, TriMet will create a "comprehensive review of the [Fareless Square] that will be launched over the next few months." TriMet does not plan to take action towards limiting the hours of the Fareless Square anytime soon and would like that this review be one that engages the public. Over the next few months, Portland will analyze the security issues and propose various solutions with the help of public involvement.
