TriMet will step up the enforcement of its rules against fare evasion and what it called “disruptive” behavior starting next week.

The Portland-area transit agency said in a news release it would increase fare checks and enforcement of existing rules, including bans on smoking, playing loud music and carrying items that could leak or block walkways.

It said in the release that fines for fare evasion could be up to $250. Riders not paying fares could also be excluded from the agency’s buses and trains.

Andrew Wilson, TriMet’s executive director of safety and security, told reporters Monday that the agency has dramatically increased its safety and security staff over the past two years. He said it has more than tripled the amount of safety personnel in the last four years.

“We’ve been building our capacity over the last three years, he said. “And at this point, we’re at a stage where we can really refocus on code enforcement to create that safe and reliable ride for our customers.”

While Wilson said TriMet won’t be able to have safety personnel on every bus, it is working toward having someone on every train.

The agency has recently faced scrutiny over safety concerns following a series of assaults on TriMet buses, trains and platforms. Two teenagers were stabbed and injured on a MAX train in September, and a man was stabbed to death on a train in March.

Almost half of respondents to a 2023 TriMet survey said safety concerns had prevented them from taking MAX trains. The survey said almost 80% of riders said they felt unsafe on the agency’s buses because of other riders’ behavior.

Transit and environmental advocacy group OPAL Environmental Justice Oregon said in a statement that while enhancing safety is crucial, it is concerned with TriMet’s increased fare enforcement.

“Intensified fare inspections and penalties up to $250 disproportionately affect low-income riders who may struggle to afford transit fares,” OPAL said. “This could lead to exclusion from essential transportation services, exacerbating social and economic inequalities.”

TriMet officials said they would expand their enforcement against carrying items that could block movement on buses and trains, specifically citing large or leaking bags of cans or bottles, large shopping carts or open containers of food or drink.

OPAL, which runs the local transit union Bus Riders Unite, said it was concerned renewed enforcement would penalize people who are disabled, or people who can’t drive to return empty cans or bottles.

In 2018, TriMet barred police from arresting riders whose only violation was not paying the fare and decriminalized fare evasion. Then, in 2022, the transit agency announced it would prohibit police from checking passengers’ fares.

At the same time, the agency implemented harsher penalties —including bans from the system — for offenses such as assaults on drivers. Wilson said those assaults have declined significantly in the months since.

TriMet isn’t the only agency that’s stepping up enforcement of both nuisance and more serious violations.

The Portland Bureau of Transportation said this week it has hired more parking enforcement officers and plans to crack down on expired vehicle registrations. The agency said the stepped-up enforcement begins July 8.

And the Portland Police Bureau has ramped up traffic stops after restoring its traffic division and increasing patrols. The bureau reported this week it had more than doubled its traffic stops in 2023 compared with the year prior, though the number was still less than half of pre-pandemic levels in 2019.

— Andrew Miller covers business news. Reach him at amiller@oregonian.com or 971-803-2954.