TriMet will be conducting a four-week elevator improvement pilot project in June at the Hollywood/NE 42nd Ave. Transit Center. The project will restrict elevator access to riders with a valid Hop card or physical or virtual payment card in an effort to improve elevator reliability.
From June 12-July 11, customers will need to tap their plastic or virtual Hop card, phone with Apple Pay, Google Pay or Samsung Pay or contactless credit or debit card on a reader next to the elevator to open the doors. Customers will not be charged anything as a result of this tap and will still be required to tap a second time on a Hop reader prior to boarding MAX. While riders won’t be charged for the elevator tap, their card must be valid for it to work.
When an individual taps with a Hop card, a chip-enabled payment card, a ticket purchased from a ticket vending machine or a smartphone wallet, the elevator doors will open, and the reader will display a confirmation screen —a green check mark and the words “Welcome” and “Thanks for riding TriMet.” The Hop or payment card needs to be valid and have funds stored, although there will not be a charge for accessing the elevator. Hop cards do not need to be registered to access the elevator. Elevator access during the pilot will not work for customers using paper tickets, also known as transfers, received from a bus ticket printer.
Easy access for riders
For the duration of the pilot, transit security staff will be present at the elevator during MAX operating hours to open it for cash and paper transfer customers and to count how often these customers access the elevator.
The electronic reader used to access the elevator will look like TriMet’s Hop fare readers, except it will be black instead of green. New signs, as well as the elevator access reader screens themselves, will instruct riders to tap before boarding the elevator and will state that there’s no charge associated with this. The signs will also remind riders to tap again on a green Hop fare reader to pay for their ride before getting on a train.
Improving reliability
TriMet is committed to improving reliability and efficiency across its transit system. By limiting elevator access to riders, TriMet hopes to diminish its unplanned elevator outages related to improper use.
By ensuring those who are riding are using the elevators for their intended purpose, TriMet hopes to cut down on maintenance-related delays and disruptions and to make the riding experience safer, more reliable and welcoming for everyone. The four-week pilot at Hollywood/NE 42nd Ave. will be used to determine the feasibility of introducing a similar system at elevators at other TriMet rail stations and transit centers.
