A parade of transit riders on Wednesday urged the

of board of directors to extend the transfer time on a two-hour ticket by up to an hour, but a vote on the proposal isn't expected until the new year.

Many people thanked the board for

.

But Portlander Paulette Rossi, who said transit-dependent riders like her should be reincarnated as pack mules because of how much stuff they have to lug around on buses, was among those who asked for a full three hours to ride.

If TriMet isn't willing to increase single fare times by a full hour for riders, she said, the agency should do it to help businesses that benefit from riders having more time to shop and run errands. They are the ones paying the region's transit taxes, Rossi said.

Meanwhile, Teresa Soto, a member of

, in a very polite way, took a shot at TriMet board members for not riding transit. Soto urged them to get on a bus and see what it's like. She also wondered how they can vote on decisions that affect passengers without being riders themselves.

Some testimony supported

, rather than somehow saying they are unintended.

Board members are expected to discuss the ordinance and vote at their Jan. 22 meeting but gave no indication of where they were leaning Wednesday.

The public hearing on the proposal, pushed to the end of a marathon meeting that lasted nearly four hours, was rushed to allow board members to get to other appointments.

OPAL has been agitating for an increase in the fare transfer time for more than two years, saying it's the least the agency can do to help low-income and transit-dependent riders hit hard by service cuts and fare increases.

Before the first person testified, Bruce Warner, TriMet's board president, sounded more like a parent on a long road trip who had heard "Are we there yet?" one too many times.

He said the board had already heard "very eloquent testimony" as the agency and OPAL have negotiated toward the possible change.

"We've heard the issues," he said. "We've heard the background."

Warner said each person would get no more than two minutes to testify for or against the proposal, which could cost the transit agency more than $2 million a year. No one showed up to oppose it.

In other board business:

* The TriMet board agreed to an agreement that

. The deal will allow TriMet to free up the trolley barn in the Rose Quarter for a MAX maintenance station that will come in handy when trains break down on the Steel Bridge. The trolleys originally cost $920,000 in the late 1980s, but 80 percent of the purchase was covered by federal grants.

*

led by LTK Engineering Services, looking at the health of MAX trains and trackway. "I am taking this action because I want to improve rail reliability issues and on-time performance," McFarlane said. "We need a better understanding of what is necessary to reach a more consistent, better level of service. I believe our customers will soon begin to notice our progress." TriMet is also investing $2.5 million in track and switch improvements throughout the system over the next 18 months.

-- Joseph Rose