Hop Fastpass, TriMet's electronic fare system, marked a milestone Sunday as it started rolling out to the transit agency's retirees, employees, their families.

That means thousands of people now show their fares by tapping cards on readers installed last year in TriMet and C-Tran buses, on MAX platforms and in the Portland Streetcar. Until now, they've been used only for limited testing.

It's the first stage in a phased roll-out. A public beta test will begin in February, and some schools and employers that provide transit passes to their staff will start using the system this spring

If all goes well, the system should launch to the public at large in July.

The system uses prepaid fare cards, which automatically deduct funds from the riders' accounts each time they tap a reader. The cards can be purchased for $3 at a network of retailers, including grocery and convenience stories, and can be reloaded in those stores or online

The system introduces fare capping, which means that after paying two fares in one day, the same as the cost of a day pass, any more rides that day are free. Similarly, once you've paid the equivalent of a monthly pass, you'll be boarding for free for the rest of the calendar month.

It also allows for balance protection. TriMet can block a lost or stolen card and transfer its balance to a new card. The agency doesn't currently replace daily, weekly or monthly passes.

At launch, Hop Fastpass won't replace other fare options, including paper passes and cash. But a stated goal of the Hop system is to reduce the amount of passes and cash used on TriMet because they can slow boarding and be costly to handle.

-- Elliot Njus

enjus@oregonian.com

503-294-5034

@enjus