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ORCA Smart Card

Seven transportation agencies in the Central Puget Sound region, including Community Transit, are collaborating on a simplified fare collection program – using smart card technology – for bus, rail and ferry travel in King, Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish counties. The ORCA (One Regional Card for All) card will make travel and fare payment more convenient for tens of thousands of passengers.

The system is easy and fast. ORCA uses a durable, no-contact microprocessor smart card that automatically calculates any fare due. Passengers will simply swipe, or “tap,” their ORCA card on an ORCA card reader and enjoy their ride. The card will register a valid pass or deduct the appropriate fare from stored value in an “epurse” account. If a transfer credit is needed, the system will calculate that automatically. Customers who register their cards can check their accounts at home or work on the Internet, and all cardholders can check their accounts at ticket vending machines throughout the region.

The ORCA is the next generation of fare collaboration after the PugetPass. The goal is a seamless transit riding experience across the region, with no need for cash or to calculate different fares.

Transportation systems participating in the ORCA program are: