ORCA Cards are Now FREE for Youth Riders
At Community Transit, we recommend using an ORCA Card as the easiest way to pay your bus fare. That’s never been more important, as an ORCA Card provides a fast and contact-free payment option when health and safety matter most. Youth ORCA cards also provide savings, with reduced fares on services operated by ORCA agencies, including Community Transit, Everett Transit, King County Metro, Kitsap Transit, Pierce Transit, and Sound Transit.
To encourage contact-free payment and quicker boarding, we are waiving the previous $5 fee for a Youth ORCA card. This makes permanent a promotion for free Youth ORCA cards that have been in place since December 2020. Riders ages 6 to 18 years of age qualify.
Customers are limited to one new Youth ORCA Card per person. The card fee waiver does not apply to replacement cards or business accounts and does not apply to Adult ORCA Card fees. The fee for replacement of Youth ORCA cards remains $5.
With ORCA, you can just tap and go — no need to handle cash and change when paying to ride the bus. ORCA also makes it simpler if you transfer to another bus — just tap your ORCA card each time you get on a bus and you will only be charged once. Paying with ORCA automatically gives you a two-hour transfer that credits the fare you’ve already paid when you transfer to another bus. Youth riders are still responsible for maintaining the balance to pay bus fares on their free Youth ORCA cards.
ORCA is your pass for riding Community Transit — and for all major public transportation agencies serving King, Kitsap, Pierce, and Snohomish counties, including Everett Transit. You can add value or a monthly pass to your ORCA card and even set it to automatically reload when your balance is low.
Signing up
Proof of age is required (student ID, state ID or driver's license, birth certificate or passport), so Youth cards are only available in person at customer service offices or through the mail.
Here is how you can get your FREE Youth ORCA
Card:
- Visit the Community Transit RideStore at 20110 46th Ave W. in Lynnwood, or another ORCA Customer Service Office (NOTE: You may experience extended wait times in person while measures are in place to limit the spread of COVID-19).
- Print this form, fill it out and mail it to the customer service address on the form along with a copy of your ID showing proof of age. You may want to add additional money or a pass to your card, too.
Here is the fine print:
- Limit one free Youth card per person for ages 6 to 18.
- Offer does not apply to business accounts, replacement cards, or previously purchased ORCA cards.
Community Transit offers different types of ORCA cards, some at reduced rates. To find out which ORCA card is right for you, go to https://www.communitytransit.org/orca.
