TriMet Will Not Offer Free Bus and MAX Rides This New Year’s Eve

The transit agency is suspending its annual fareless trips to discourage “large gatherings” and push potential revelers to ring in 2021 on their couches.

Line 17 on Tillikum Crossing. (Brian Burk)
By Matthew Singer

Before it mercifully ends, 2020 is going to deprive Portland of one last yearly tradition: free rides from TriMet on New Year's Eve.

The transit agency announced today it will not be offering fareless trips on Dec. 31 as it usually does, in order to discourage "large gatherings" and push potential revelers to ring in the new year on their couches.

"We join health experts in urging everyone to make safety a priority for this year's celebration," the agency wrote in an email.

Hours for the MAX will still extend until 3 am "for those who must travel that night," but honestly, if you have the night off and you still need a ride that late in the middle of a pandemic, you have some serious resolutions to consider for 2021.

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