There are quite a few ways to get around within Portland.

Trimet

There are three great bus lines near Ravencourt Cottage:

  • The #9 / Powell bus is the fastest way to get downtown.
  • The #14 / Hawthorne bus passes through the hip, bohemian Hawthorne neighborhood before finishing downtown.
  • The #71 will take you up to the 60th street MAX station. The MAX light rail can take you to the airport.

To ride Trimet, you’ll need either exact fare or a Hop Pass. There are two Hop options. You can get a physical contactless Hop card at the local Plaid Pantry or a grocery store. You can then put money onto it or connect it to a credit card. Alternately, you can use Apple Pay or Google Pay to pay with your phone or smart watch. (I use my watch all the time!)

Nike Bikes

Nike’s Biketown offers both regular bikes and ebikes that you can rent by the minute. Although there are many pre-built orange stations around town to pick up and lock bikes, you can technically start and end your trip anywhere. Use the map to find a bike near you. You’ll need to create an account with the app to get started.

Scooters

Portland is home to several different e-scooter companies. Like Biketown, you’re charged by the minute for usage. Electric scooters are agile and fun, but you’ll need to follow the rules. Portland treats them like bikes, so you need to use the bike lane (not the sidewalk!) and (according to the law) wear a helmet. The companies offering scooter rentals change on occasion, but at the time I’m writing this, you can rent from:

Taxis

There are a number of taxi options in Portland. At the moment, they are usually cheaper and faster than ride-share companies.

  • Radio Cab has an app that works like the ride-shares.
  • Curb and Flywheel aggregate across taxi companies, but also have apps that work similar to ride-shares.

Ride-Share Companies

Ride-share companies like Lyft and Uber tend to be shifty and predatory. They’re quite popular, but we’ve found that they tend to pull a bait-and-switch with rides. They show a ride is only a few minutes away, so you request it, only to see it canceled and replaced by a ride that’s 20 minutes away. At that point, your only course of action is to wait or pay a $5 cancellation fee. In the past couple of years, their fare prices have gone up and the cut of profit that drivers receive has gone down. Please try to avoid these companies if possible.