Metro Bus Passes (Seattle: transfer, buying, school)

[L8Gr8Apost8]

Hi. My daughter is out in Seattle testing it out to move there. They are in the metro area on a bus line and would like to know how to go about getting a bus pass (monthly?). I find links but I'm not sure what the official one is.

Thanks.

[CrazyDonkey]

https://www.soundtransit.org/Fares-and-Passes/orca-card

[fnh]

There is a Metro service kiosk inside the Westlake Station tunnel toward the 3rd Ave entrances, and there is a main service center on Jackson near 2nd Ave. Metro customer service has always been super knowledgeable and helpful in my experience.

She will need an ORCA card ($5) for a monthly pass, and I strongly encourage she register it at one of the service stations above. I have one child who frequently loses their card and I've transferred the monthly pass and remaining E-Purse balance several times now. (sigh!) With an ORCA card she can add a monthly pass directly at a vending machine or online, even setting it up to automatically renew.

It makes sense to buy a monthly pass if paying the fare at least 36 times per month. For example, my child pays youth fare $1.50 and would need to attend school 18 days per month (two trips per day, there and back) to make the monthly pass cost of $54 worthwhile. We therefore skipped buying the PugetPass for December with only nine days of school and paid a la carte with E-Purse.

[L8Gr8Apost8]

thank you for the responses. those passes are pretty spendy so breaking down the usage is helpful. She said something about paying 2.50 for a fare to someplace and it's good on the way back too as long as it's within a couple of hours.

[Seacove]

I've seen the Orca passes sold at the counters at stores like Safeway. Not the cash register, the counters where they sell things like lottery tickets and such.

[GraceKrispy]

Originally Posted by L8Gr8Apost8

thank you for the responses. those passes are pretty spendy so breaking down the usage is helpful. She said something about paying 2.50 for a fare to someplace and it's good on the way back too as long as it's within a couple of hours.

Using the Orca card, she won't be double charged for a fair if she transfers within a few hours, either. So e-purse might be her best option if she's not using the card every single day for separate rides.

[CrazyDonkey]

Originally Posted by L8Gr8Apost8

thank you for the responses. those passes are pretty spendy so breaking down the usage is helpful. She said something about paying 2.50 for a fare to someplace and it's good on the way back too as long as it's within a couple of hours.

Yeah, the monthly passes primarily make sense for commuters. If she thinks she's going to be riding transit a lot on any one day, she could add a Regional Day Pass ($8, good for fares up to $3.50). Activated on first usage of the card, so she shouldn't add it (at QFC, Safeway, etc.) until she's ready to use it. Good until 3am (Night Owl).

http://metro.kingcounty.gov/fares/pd...y-pass-faq.pdf

[Botev1912]

Keep in mind most employers in downtown Seattle subsidize ORCA cards, so the rides are mostly free.

[bellamushy]

Here's the official link with additional information. I agree that E-Purses make sense for those who don't ride everyday.

https://www.orcacard.com/ERG-Seattle/getACard.do?m=2