Tri Met Ticket HELP

[bou12345318]

My friend was checked for his ticket which he had, he is a student so they needed his id card but somehow he lost it and so he got fined a 175 dollar fine which he can't pay. Is there any way for this to be waved?

[TalaRedWolf33]

Well, calling the trimet office would be a good start, and then asking a trimet officer if they see one at a max stop what they can do to help.

[Venusgate]

Yeah, I'd call, or go down to the trimet office with proof that your friend WAS a student at the time of receiving the ticket.

[Malaria]

There's courts that deal with this sort of thing, so you can appeal and see if a judge will dismiss your ticket.

[reppy]

I'm not sure how this stuff works with Tri-Met or whomever, so take it with a grain of salt.

I have known people that were ticketed for not having insurance because they did not have their insurance card on them at the time they were pulled over.  However, they did in fact have insurance.  They went to court, proved they had insurance but did not have the card at the time, and that portion of the ticket was waived.

It would seem a bit ridiculous to charge someone $175 because they forgot something.  That fee is for people that are trying to rip off the system.  That's not the case with him.

Certainly his mileage may vary, and there's probably a lot about the situation and how this stuff operates that I'm ignorant of . . but, I hope for the best!  And good on you for trying to assist him.  ^__^

[GregAtlas]

yeah, talk to someone at the trimet office, bring the ticket, the fine paperwork, and the ID card in question and I bet they would waive it... if they don't, come back another time and try a different attendant. Good luck.

[bou12345318]

Thanks you guys :]

[DarkStar]

My friend was checked for his ticket which he had, he is a student so they needed his id card but somehow he lost it and so he got fined a 175 dollar fine which he can't pay. Is there any way for this to be waved?

Step #1, he needs to read the ticket. It will list a hearing date/time and which court it is issued at. For TriMet, this is usually the Multnomah County Justice Center in Portland. Unless he plans on paying the ticket outright, he must show up to dispute the fine.

The good news is that since the Multnomah County court system has been so busy, odds are they'll allow your friend to receive a reduced fine of $50 if he pleas "guilty" (bring cash). He could also avoid having to speak to the judge as they come across as intimidating.

If he wants to plea "not guilty", he needs to be prepared to explain to the judge why the law shouldn't apply to his case. TriMet rules are very specific that a student ticket is only valid with student identification. The judge may give him an opportunity to modify his plea to "guilty" and pay the reduced $50 fine if they're in a good mood, but don't count on it.