Mayor Ted Wheeler Encourages Residents to Be Here for Portland July 3-5

Press Release

Free transit on Trimet and Portland Streetcar and discounted BIKETOWN rides to/from downtown Portland intended to encourage support for local businesses

Published

June 30, 2021 3:18 pm

Four squares that say "Here for Cully. Here for Division Midway. Here for Central Eastside. Here for 42nd Ave. July 3-5 Free Rides on TriMet"

Mayor Ted Wheeler is encouraging Portland residents to explore the city and support local businesses this Fourth of July weekend as part of the City’s Here for Portland campaign.

Governor Kate Brown on June 30 lifted most of the state’s pandemic-related restrictions. This, combined with the long holiday weekend, means that it’s the perfect time for residents to support and celebrate Portland.

In partnership with Here for Portland, TriMet and Portland Streetcar are offering free rides on all routes July 3-5. BIKETOWN is also offering a $6 discount on all rides that start or end in downtown Portland on those days.

“Using these free and discounted transit services to eat, play, and shop local will mean you’re helping local employers support their families and provide jobs to others,” Mayor Ted Wheeler said. “A huge thank-you to our partners at TriMet and the Portland Bureau of Transportation for making this possible.”

“For the past year and a half, we have collectively faced extreme challenges, but what could have easily been breaking points for this city has shifted to turning points within this community,” said TriMet General Manager Sam Desue, Jr. “Let’s celebrate this weekend and show our support for our beautiful region, show our gratitude to the first responders and essential workers who got us to this point, and show our appreciation to the entrepreneurs, performers, artisans and athletes who make Portland the city we love. And, let’s do it in a way that’s uniquely Portland—going there by TriMet.”

The Here for Portland campaign was started in 2020 and is now guided by the City’s Reputation and Recovery Action Table.

In addition to encouraging people to eat, play, and shop local this weekend, Here for Portland recently began a “Here for business districts” campaign that encourages people to support Portland’s 41 active neighborhood business districts.

Here for Portland has created 41 new logos, each of which shows support for a particular business district (i.e., Here for Cully, Here for Gateway, Here for Division Midway). Here for Portland is marketing the new campaign on social media to residents of specific neighborhood business districts.

“We’ve been given a great opportunity to support our local businesses and strengthen our business districts,” Mayor Ted Wheeler said. “I hope you will all join me in doing so, and I hope you will join me in being ‘Here for Portland.’”