Portland expands St. Patrick’s Day weekend discounts on taxis, Uber and Lyft through PBOT Safe Ride Home
Discounted late-night rides offered March 13–17 for trips that begin inside Portland city limits
Portland transportation officials are again rolling out discounted rides for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, aiming to reduce impaired driving during one of the city’s busiest nightlife weekends. The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) announced March 11, 2026 that its Safe Ride Home program will provide limited discounts on taxi, Uber and Lyft rides for five consecutive nights, from Friday, March 13 through Tuesday, March 17.
The discounts apply only to rides that begin within Portland city limits and are available nightly between 6 p.m. and 2:30 a.m. PBOT described the offer as part of a broader approach to traffic safety and its Vision Zero strategy to reduce serious injuries and fatalities on city streets.
How the St. Patrick’s Day weekend offer works
Taxi riders can receive a paper coupon worth up to $20 off a single ride. PBOT said the coupons will be distributed at two large public festival sites during the multi-day St. Patrick’s Day period.
Riders using Uber can receive $10 off one ride.
Riders using Lyft can receive $10 off one ride.
PBOT also pointed to year-round alternatives for getting home without driving, including public transit service on TriMet buses and MAX light rail, Portland Streetcar, and C-TRAN.
Program funding and what it covers
PBOT said Safe Ride Home launched in 2017 and operates during selected holidays and high-attendance events. The bureau reported that in 2025 the program helped fund more than 3,050 rides.
The program is financed through fees tied to Portland’s regulation of ride-hail and taxi services, including permit fees paid by taxi companies and a per-ride city fee applied to Lyft and Uber trips that start in Portland. PBOT said the same revenue stream also supports regulatory functions such as safety inspections, driver background checks, and PDX WAV, an on-demand accessible vehicle program serving people who use wheelchairs or other mobility devices.
Why timing and geography are central to the effort
The discounts are structured around late-night hours and require trips to originate inside Portland, reflecting where officials say risk is concentrated during major holiday celebrations.
By focusing on the late-evening and early-morning window—when bars and event venues are most active—PBOT is concentrating the subsidy on the period when impaired driving risk typically rises and when riders are more likely to face higher transportation costs or limited options.