Community Transit

ORCA Saves Time and Money

Traveling the Puget Sound region by bus, train and ferry is even easier with ORCA - One Regional Card for All. The ORCA card works like cash or a pass, automatically tracking the value of different fares and transfers so you don't have to.

Pay less, travel more

If you take more than one bus or train to complete your trip, or if you want to get on and off the bus (like Swift) frequently, get an ORCA card.

ORCA automatically gives you credit for the fare you've already paid when you take two or more buses.

ORCA is good for visitors, regular bus riders and occasional riders alike.

The electronic fare card works for all seven of the major public transportation agencies serving King, Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish counties:

• Community Transit
• Everett Transit
• King County Metro Transit
• Kitsap Transit
• Pierce Transit
• Sound Transit
• Washington State Ferries

Together, the agencies serve more than half of Washington’s population and carry more than 500,000 riders daily.
 

ORCA Products

ORCA Card E-purse

Newer or infrequent transit riders should consider purchasing pre-paid transportation value on an ORCA card, similar to having a pre-paid coffee card or bus tickets in the past. With an ORCA “E-purse,” the fare value of your ride is deducted automatically from your card, and if you need to take a second bus or transportation mode to complete your trip, the transfer credit is calculated as well. If the second trip costs more than the first, additional fare will be deducted automatically from your card and shown on the card reader.

“E-purse” value may be purchased in dollar increments with a minimum purchase of $5 and a maximum of $300. You can add value at any time by phone, online or in person, or set the card to “autoload” whenever it falls to zero.

Monthly Pass

For frequent customers (more than 18 roundtrips a month), we recommend a monthly pass (click here for prices). Like the PugetPass, a monthly pass on an ORCA card is good for unlimited rides on transit systems throughout the region. Pick a trip value for the pass based on the fare of your most frequent trip. For instance, buy a $1.75 pass if you’re an adult who takes local Community Transit buses. If you take a bus or train with a higher fare, you can pay the cost difference with cash or by having E-purse value on your ORCA card.

Instead of getting a new pass each month, you just load a new pass onto your ORCA card or set your account to load automatically.

If you ride the Washington State Ferries, you can load a WSF monthly pass on your ORCA card (creating your own "Ship to Shore" pass), or use your E-purse to pay for individual ferry rides.

Skagit Transit has its own monthly passes, which are not accepted by other transit agencies.

Youth and Reduced Fare Cards

Customers who pay a youth fare must purchase their ORCA card in person (youth or parent/guardian) at the Everett Station or RideStore. Bring proof of age or student status.

Customers who qualify for the reduced fare permit (seniors 65 , people with disabilities and Medicare card holders) must get their ORCA Regional Reduced Fare Permit in person at the Everett Station or RideStore.

Once you have a card, it can be reloaded anytime, in any of the ways listed below. Please note that it may take up to 24 hours before your card’s new value is valid.

Where to Buy ORCA

ORCA cards are pre-set to charge the correct fare type for the user: either youth, adult or reduced fare. A youth or adult ORCA card costs $5. A new ORCA Regional Reduced Fare Permit is $3. Once you get your first card, it will last for years and you can add value to it online, by phone, in-person or through the mail.

Adult customers can get an ORCA card and load transportation value or passes onto existing cards in the any of the ways listed below. 

• Online. Online purchases require a valid Visa or MasterCard.It will take up to 7 business days for your card to arrive in the mail. If you are adding value to an existing card, it can take up to 24 hours for that value to appear on your card.
• Customer Service Office, such as the RideStore or Everett Station. Adult, youth (ages 6 to 18), senior (ages 65 ) and disabled reduced fare ORCA cards. Most forms of payment will be accepted at customer service offices.
• By mail. Mail purchases may be made with a check, credit card or money order.
• By phone: 1-888-988-6722 or TTY Relay: 711 (1-888-889-6368). Phone purchases require a valid Visa or MasterCard.
• At ticket vending machines. Ticket machines are located at Everett Station (inside the building as well as on the train platform and just north of the Swift terminal), Mukilteo and Edmonds Sounder stations and at King Street and light rail stations in downtown Seattle. Ticket machine purchases require cash, Visa or MasterCard.
• At retail pass outlets. Retail locations can revalue existing ORCA cards; new cards are not available.

To pay a youth fare, customers must provide proof of age and buy their first ORCA card by mail or in person at a Customer Service Office.

To pay a reduced fare, seniors and people with disabilities need to first get a reduced fare ORCA card in person at a Customer Service Office. Bring proof of age or a Regional Reduced Fare Permit (RRFP) application (pdf). Current reduced fare permit holders can exchange their valid reduced fare card at any time for a new ORCA reduced fare card at no charge. A new reduced fare ORCA card costs $3.

Once you have your ORCA card, anyone can load a pass or E-purse value online, by mail, at an ORCA Customer Service Office or at a ticket vending machine. Please note that if you load value online or by phone, it will take about 24 hours before your pass or E-purse is available for use.