ORCA: One card, seven transit agencies

<<Sounds of orca machine beeping>>

Narrator Says:

Paying your transit fare in our region is now simpler, more modern, and less wasteful.

Now, instead of searching for exact change, carrying a paper transfer, or buying monthly passes, everything goes through one card.

It’s called ORCA, and it stands for ‘One Regional Card for All’.

It’s the new easy way to get around the Puget Sound region on public transit.

The ORCA card is smart.

It has a built-in microprocessor chip that automatically accounts for different fares and transfers.

And when it comes to ORCA’s flexibility, the numbers are impressive.

It’s one card that connects you with:

• Four counties
• Seven transit agencies
• 12 ferry routes
• About 18 miles of light rail, which starts in July
• 62 cities and towns
• 73 miles of commuter rail
• 425 bus routes
• All spread out over about 6,500 square miles

The ORCA card is also smart because it can act like cash, a transfer, and a pass.

It can hold different types of passes, from a variety of Puget Passes to special transit agency passes.

And it can store cash with its ‘E-Purse’, pre-paid value that you can purchase and put on your ORCA card for transportation services, just like paying with cash.

The ORCA card is easy in a lot of ways; first it’s easy to use.

You tap in on the card reader when you get on the bus, and the system does all the math for you.

Then, you can see your transaction on the reader.

The orca card is also easy to get.

You can visit www.orcacard.com to order your pass online, or you can order through the mail, or over the phone.

You can also visit an ORCA customer service office to order in-person.

It’s also easy to add value to your ORCA card.

You can also do this online, by phone, by mail, at participating retail locations, and even at ticket vending machines on rail station platforms like this one.

You can also sign up for the convenient ‘Auto-Load’ option, a recurring payment from your credit card that will keep your ORCA card loaded.

The ORCA card also reduces waste.

It means agencies will no longer have to send out new plastic passes every month, and it also cuts down on the need for paper transfers.

The only time you’ll need a new card is if you lose yours, in which case, if you register your card, your full balance will be restored onto a new card.

ORCA may be the card of the future, but it’s here today.

Now there is a better way to travel around Puget Sound.

You can get yours by calling 1-888-988-6722 (ORCA), or visit www.orcacard.com.