After 34 years, Portland is eliminating its ride free area due to a massive budget shortfall.

From Portland Mercury reporter (and Stranger alum) Sarah Mirk:

After months of debate and vocal protests from a loose transit riders' union, the TriMet board...voted 6-1 to eliminate buses from Fareless Square.

“When Fareless Square was started some 34 years ago, it was a bus-only system. We now have four MAX lines that will serve this area once mall service begins,” says Mary Fetsch, TriMet’s spokesperson. While eliminating free bus service from downtown saves only $800,000, TriMet expects to see improvements in bus efficiency and a reduction in bus fare-related evasion. TriMet is counting on this projected savings to help close its $3.5 million budget gap.

Much like Portland, Seattle's 36-year-old Ride Free Zone could also be in trouble because of money problems at the city and county level.

The city currently pays King County Metro to cover some of the fares in the downtown ride free area, which stretches from Battery Street to S. Jackson Street, between 6th Avenue and the Waterfront. According to King County Metro service development manager Victor Obeso, about 880,000 riders take advantage of the Ride Free Zone annually, which translates to about $1.3 million in unpaid fares every year.

Last year, the city paid King County $380,000 for its share of the ride free area. However, with recent increases in bus fares, the county is projecting that Seattle will owe the county $526,000 for 2009 and several county council members are pushing for the city to pay even more—as much as $6.5 million a year—to cover fares lost in the Ride Free Zone, and help fill part of Metro's $213 million budget gap.

Obeso says there is no immediate deadline for the city and county to figure out who should be footing the bill for the free rides, but mayoral candidate Mike McGinn seems to think Seattle's Ride Free Zone is an integral part of the transit system, and should be a priority in order to keep transit running on time.

From Electionland:

[W]e need to prioritize buses on our streets. Things like dedicated bus lanes, traffic signal priority, and peak hour parking restrictions can make buses move more efficiently through our streets, effectively increasing service. Reducing "dwell time" by having multiple doors and pay in advance fare systems also helps. That is one thing the ride free area helps with.