PORTLAND, Ore. -- TriMet proposed cutting frequency of 19 bus routes along with free Fareless Square bus service on Wednesday.

The proposals came as the agency mulls a second round of service cuts this year.

Bus routes were cut and MAX service frequency decreased in controversial cuts finalized just two weeks ago. Those cuts take effect in September.

The new proposal would cut frequency to 19 bus routes. It also would eliminate free bus service in Farelss Square. MAX service would remain free in the downtown corridor, spokesperson Mary Fetch said.

 Details: List of TriMet bus service changes

The service changes and Fareless Square proposal came on the same day TriMet celebrated its 100 millionth rider in 12 months -- the first time ever that the agency has experienced that many rides in a one-year period, Fetch said.

 More: TriMet milestone reached Wednesday

Transit officials first hinted that additional cuts might be in store at the May 27 meeting, when four routes were eliminated and MAX service was decreased from every 15 minutes to every half hour.

Some of the new service cuts could include popular high frequency routes in Portland’s famous “Fareless Square” area, which stretches from Pioneer Courthouse Square to the Rose Quarter.  

TriMet General Manager Fred Hansen mentioned possible changes to the free service corridor earlier this year.

Officials hinted in January that Fareless Square bus routes could ultimately begin charging fees. MAX service in the area could remain free.

A TriMet survey concluded that about two-thirds of riders who take advantage of the free transit corridor used trains but not bus routes.

The survey was commissioned by downtown-area businesses, which subsidize Fareless Square. Portland Business Alliance has questioned its value, while police believe it creates crime and safety issues downtown.

Changes to Fareless Square and further service cuts are just possibilities, officials stressed. They’re not even proposals yet. And they come at a time when TriMet is bleeding money, with a projected multimillion dollar deficit.

"Fareless Square is so much a part of this region and its environmental stewardship and reputation," Hansen said in a statement last January.

Any further cuts or changes would likely take place this November, TriMet spokesperson Mary Fetch said.

The proposals are still being drafted.

Public input will be integral to any further changes to Portland’s transit, Fetch said.

The proposals come at a time when many other municipalities across the nation -- and even the U.S. Department of Transportation -- are looking to Portland’s transit system as a model for others.

KGW Reporter Erica Heartquist contributed to this report.