Free Rail Zone
Fareless Square was an area within central Portland, Oregon, where all rides on TriMet buses and light rail and the Portland Streetcar were free. It primarily consisted of the downtown area and, after 2001, the Lloyd District. It existed from January 1975 through August 2012, but was briefly renamed the Free Rail Zone in January 2010 after its coverage became limited to light rail and streetcar service, with bus rides no longer being free. The TriMet board decided in June 2012 to discontinue the Free Rail Zone primarily to help fill a large shortfall in the agency's budget, and the action was one component of a package of extensive budget cuts which also included service reductions and fare increases. The Free Rail Zone ended on August 31, 2012.
Fareless Square was similar to downtown fare-free (or free-ride) transit zones in Seattle (established in 1973), Pittsburgh (since 1985) and Salt Lake City (since 1985), The 2010 change that limited coverage to rail services made the fare-free zone more similar to one in Calgary, Alberta, which applies only to light rail.
Read more about Free Rail Zone: Boundaries, History, Controversy
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