Sound Transit: ORCA Card

Travel by orca.

Whether you are an occasional rider, make a round trip each weekday, or use Sound Transit’s services several times a month, consider the convenient and money-saving ORCA card. You can use your ORCA card as a pass on all regional buses and trains or load your card with an E-purse, which is stored value that works similar to cash.

ORCA is accepted on Sound Transit buses and trains and on Community Transit, Everett Transit, King County Metro Transit, Kitsap Transit, Pierce Transit and Washington State Ferries.

There are three different ways to use your ORCA card:

Put money into your ORCA card E-purse

An E-purse is a stored value used just like cash to pay your bus or train fare. The fare due for your ride will be deducted from the E-purse on your ORCA card, allowing you to “pay as you go.” The E-purse may also be used in combination with a pass. With an ORCA card, transfers between buses and trains are automatically calculated, and balances applied to the connecting trips, so paper transfers are no longer needed.

Use your ORCA card like a Regional Pass (PugetPass)

A regional pass lets you travel on all bus and train services in the region for a specific period of time. An ORCA regional pass works like a monthly PugetPass and is valid on Community Transit, Everett Transit, King County Metro Transit, Kitsap Transit, Pierce Transit and Sound Transit. The pass is valid for payment of trip fares up to the value of your pass.

Choose the pass value on your ORCA card based on the price of the trip you are likely to take, based on age, zones or distance. You can add a monthly pass in all denominations listed here>>>

Use your ORCA card for a specific transit agency

Some transit agencies offer passes or products that cover multiple rides on their agency’s transit services. These may include multi-ride products or agency-specific monthly passes that are only valid on the agency services for which the pass was purchased.

For complete information about ORCA, visit www.orcacard.com or call 1-888-988-6722/TTY Relay 711: 1-888-889-6368 during regular business hours. If you currently receive a transit benefit from your employer or other organization, ask them how to get an ORCA card.

Using ORCA on buses and trains

On ST Express Bus

Tap your card at the card reader located next to the bus driver. If the bus fare is higher than the pass value of your ORCA card, you must pay the difference using your ORCA card E-purse or cash

On Sounder and Central Link

Tap your card at the card reader located on the train platform before boarding the train. Present your valid ORCA card to the conductor or fare inspector upon request. When exiting, tap your card at the card reader at the station to complete your transaction and ensure that the correct fare is deducted.

As with all passes, if the per-trip value of the pass does not match the cost of the fare for your trip, you must purchase a pass upgrade at the ticket vending machine prior to boarding or the difference can be paid with your ORCA card E-purse when you tap off. The upgrade will need to be shown to the inspector along with your pass.

Learn More

ST Express bus fares, schedules and maps
Sounder fares, schedules and maps
Central Link light rail begins July, 2009