TriMet Hop FastPass™ goes virtual

Portland transit customers are making history of a sort – that is, if they are users of Google Pay.

TriMet’s contactless Hop Fastpass™ card is now available to all Google Pay users, making it the first account-based regional virtual transit card on Google Pay in the world, the agency said. Google Pay users can now add value to their virtual card and tap with their phone to ride on TriMet, C-TRAN and Portland Streetcar.

TriMet worked with Google to launch the virtual card in Google Pay starting with a beta test in December 2017. It provides all the benefits of a plastic Hop card, with Adult, Honored Citizen and Youth fares available. Users only pay for the rides they take, earn day and month passes without an upfront cost, enjoy easy loading and auto-loading options and get lost-card protection.

“TriMet continues exploring innovations to improve the experience of our customers,” said TriMet General Manager Doug Kelsey. “The combination of Hop and Google Pay puts transit riders in the Portland-Vancouver region on the cutting edge of technology while truly getting the best value with daily and monthly fare caps as they ride.”

“We’re excited to work with TriMet to help ease the daily journey for commuters. Google Pay aims to create an effortless, immersive mobile transit experience for users, removing the friction of getting a ticket and saving valuable time for busy commuters.” said Pali Bhat, Google’s Vice President, Product Management, Payments.

The first 1,000 people to buy a virtual Hop card will get it for free courtesy of Google, with a $3 credit applied within 24 hours of purchase.