Switching From Paper Tickets to Hop

Next time you’re at the store ready to buy your fare, pick up a reloadable Hop card from the gift card rack or from the customer service counter. (Cards are available for Adult, Honored Citizen and Youth riders; there is a one-time $3 fee.)

Participating retailers include Albertsons, Fred Meyer, New Seasons, Plaid Pantry, Safeway and many more — see the full list here.

When you check out, you can load $5 or more onto your card. When you’re ready to reload, you can add money using the website, app or phone hotline, or you can reload with cash at the store.

Albertsons and Safeway stores no longer sell traditional paper fares. Stores such as Albertsons, Fred Meyer, New Seasons, QFC, Safeway and WinCo stopped selling traditional paper fares in 2018. Paper fares for LIFT paratransit are still available.

Where to buy and reload Hop cards

How Hop works

You can still buy your fare on the bus using cash (you’ll get a paper transfer receipt like before) or at ticket machines using a card or cash.

Note that all ticket machines now exclusively sell 2½-hour and 1-day Hop tickets — these are similar to the paper fares they sell today, but they have electronics inside and must be tapped on a Hop reader every time you board or transfer.

Learn more about Hop tickets

Our ticket office in Pioneer Square stopped selling paper fares on June 1, 2019*. You can buy and reload all types of Hop cards there, and our staff are happy to help set you up and answer any questions you have.

The ticket office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

*Paper fares for LIFT paratransit are still available.

Plan your trip

We will continue to work with organizations that provide fares for their clients and community members. Instead of paper tickets and passes, these groups will distribute Hop tickets or add electronic passes onto Hop cards. Just remember to tap the green Hop reader every time you board or transfer!

Just like before, there are a number of ways to get fare to your organization’s clients.

Opening an account is the easiest way to load fare, including day or month passes, onto your clients’ Hop cards on a regular basis (similar to the way employers manage cards for their employees). This is a good option for organizations that work consistently with the same clients.

If you simply need to distribute 2½-hour or 1-day Hop tickets, opening an account will let us send fare directly to your organization. Setting up an account is easy and there is no upfront cost or requirement to buy. There is no contract required if you pay for your order upfront with a credit card.

Send us a note at employerprograms@trimet.org if you’re interested in signing up or learning more.

If your organization would like to seek eligibility for grants or reduced fares for people with qualifying incomes, please visit https://trimet.org/accesstransit.

Don’t worry. We are committed to making sure Hop works for everyone, and we would love to help get you on board. Send a note to hopoutreach@trimet.org with any comments or questions and we’ll follow up with you.