TriMet has not increased its ticket prices for all riders since 2012, and General Manager Doug Kelsey said that won’t change next year.

The tri-county transit agency preemptively announced Tuesday that it wouldn’t raise fares in 2020, ending speculation and concern from transit advocacy organization that a fare hike was imminent.

“We live in uncertain times,” Kelsey wrote in a letter to the agency’s board of directors, an equity task force and other groups, “and our goal is to provide as much predictability as possible to our riders and our community. We recognize that it is important for our customers to be able to plan ahead when it comes to potential fare changes, that is why at this time we want everyone to know there will be no fare increase in 2020.”

The announcement comes weeks after the transit agency fielded significant concerns from riders amid its renewed emphasis on fare enforcement. Kelsey’s announcement also comes on the eve of the agency’s monthly board meeting, where more than a dozen nonprofit and transit rights groups are expected to testify and call for a fare hike moratorium.

TriMet’s 2020 fiscal year budget forecast had called for single fares to increase by 10 cents starting in the 2021 fiscal year “and every other year thereafter.” A TriMet spokeswoman said those figures were “placeholders” and have appeared in the past several budget forecasts. TriMet in July 2015 did increase fares for its honored citizen riders -- senior citizens and people with disabilities -- by 25 cents per ride. But a systemwide increase hasn’t occurred since 2012.

According to the most recent budget forecast, passenger fare revenue accounts for 18% of TriMet’s overall revenue picture, the second highest source following employer payroll taxes.

Shawn Fleek, spokesman for one of those groups, OPAL Environmental Justice Oregon, said TriMet’s news was “nice to hear,” but that Wednesday’s demonstration would continue.

“OPAL has been advocating for the last six months to stop the proposed fare hikes and win a transit system that is free of fares, free of congestion and free of racial profiling,” Fleek said. “We welcome the news that TriMet won’t be raising fares in 2020, and we are cautious in that praise because we hope that TriMet will recognize the need of for a fare hike moratorium in future years.”

Fleek said OPAL looked forward to working with TriMet on sustaining its service and expanding service across the Portland metro area.

In his letter, Kelsey wrote that transit systems in the Seattle and San Francisco Bay area approved a fare hike more recently than TriMet or are considering a potential fare bump.

Kelsey highlighted TriMet’s emphasis on signing up low-income riders through its reduced fare plan, which caps single fares at $1.25 per ride, half of the standard fare. TriMet has some 26,000 riders signed up for that program, he wrote.

TriMet’s top official said that in the future, “when we do consider a fare increase,” the process will include “robust and comprehensive community engagement.”

TriMet’s board meets Wednesday from 9 a.m. to noon at the World Trade Center’s building at 121 S.W. Salmon St. in Portland.

-- Andrew Theen

atheen@oregonian.com

503-294-4026

@andrewtheen

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