TriMet knows its buses and trains don’t always get riders all the way to their destinations, so the transit agency debuted a tool this week it hopes will help passengers’ patch together various different transportation modes without relying on a personal automobile.

TriMet said its trip planner is still in the testing phase, but the agency wants riders to know they can now piece together ways to get around the metro region by combining public transit rides with Uber, on-demand car rental company Share Now and Biketown rides.

The transit agency said its multi-modal planner may be a good for riders who are in a hurry and can’t wait for a bus or MAX train to get all the way to their destination or folks who trying to save money and don’t want to hail an Uber for their entire trip. The trip planner is still in its infancy, so it likely won’t have all area businesses or landmarks pop up immediately in the search field.

But TriMet said the planner, which updates in real-time and shows users the estimated price and duration of their trips, is just a first step in what it says is the first multi-modal planner of its kind.

“By partnering with private companies, TriMet makes it easier for people to get to work, school, appointments or any place they need to go in the Portland metro area,” Bibiana McHugh, TriMet’s manager of mobility and location-based services, said in a statement. “The new trip planner will help our customers make informed decisions about their travel options, including the first and last parts of their trips where a bus or train alone doesn’t provide full access.”

The new planner, available at betaplanner.trimet.org, works on smart phones and was through a federal $678,000 Federal Transit Administration grant, and $324,000 in contributions from the companies and TriMet.

TriMet said the planner uses open source technology and it believes other transit agencies could piggyback on their work and create similar planers for other metro regions.

Roberta Altstadt, a TriMet spokeswoman, said the agency hopes to make it possible for users to pay for their car-rental or ride-hailing service in the planner in the near future.

Biketown officials said they hope the planner shows potential riders how accessible, affordable and easy the orange bike service is.

“By encouraging the use of more sustainable modes of transportation, we all win,” said Biketown Manager Dorothy Mitchell.

Altstadt said TriMet is “still hoping to pursue a partnership with Lyft,” adding they’d like the ride-hailing company to be included.

TriMet plans to eventually swap out its existing trip planner on the agency’s website for the new multi-modal model.

-- Andrew Theen

atheen@oregonian.com

503-294-4026

@andrewtheen

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