5 minutes Date Launched: Jan 1, 2018 Dates given are approximate. Pilot Project Timeframe: Year the program started.
As one of the original partners in developing the global standard for public transit data, GTFS, Portland’s TriMet transit agency has long been a forward-thinking mobility leader. Following a series of pilot projects focused on affordable housing residents, the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) launched their Transportation Wallet in January of 2018. The program is available to users who live or work within one of two districts of the city, and the program’s pilot focused on affordable housing residents. Users can pay $99 for a suite of services including an annual bikeshare membership, an annual Streetcar pass, and a transit card with $100 of credit. The car2go carshare service was also included as part of the Transportation Wallet before it left the market.
This program is also notable for their success through first focusing on communities which have typically been kept out of the urban mobility conversation. This equitable approach bucks the trend of app-based mobility providers serving only affluent, white neighborhoods in cities where transportation options are already plentiful. Portland’s innovative program is a valuable example of services bundled into a single contract for a set price, one of the few such subscription-like examples of progress towards MaaS in the country.