Seattle transit’s new ‘tap-to-pay’ feature goes live next week as region prepares for World Cup – GeekWire
The ubiquitous swipe-to-pay technology now common in grocery stores and coffee shops is coming to buses and trains in the Seattle area next week.
From Monday, Feb. 23, ORCA will accept contactless credit and debit cards, as well as digital wallets such as Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay, throughout the Seattle region.
That means passengers can tap their smartphones, digital watches, or physical cards against ORCA readers to pay for fares.
“We know that people are very used to tapping credit cards and that contactless systems are part of our daily lives – and now that’s part of public transportation through Puget Sound,” said ORCA Joint Board Chair Christina O’Claire.
GeekWire covered the news last month. The soft launch started in early February. ORCA and Sound Transit officials held a press conference Thursday to announce the launch date inside the downtown Seattle office of Init, the German technology company that helps power ORCA’s billing operations.
The release comes as Seattle prepares to host the FIFA World Cup this summer, where hundreds of thousands of visitors are expected to rely on public transportation.
“We are ready to welcome soccer fans, transportation enthusiasts from around the world,” said Dow Constantine, CEO of Sound Transit.
And it comes ahead of the start next month of a new rail line across Lake Washington that connects Seattle to Bellevue.
The technology upgrade is aimed at making transportation easier for commuters, tourists, and anyone who doesn’t already carry an ORCA card — while modernizing fares for all regional transit agencies. By simplifying fare collection, agencies hope to speed up ridership during peak travel times and major events.
The ORCA operations team worked with Init to implement Visa’s Mass Transit Transaction (MTT) payment model, which allows ORCA fare readers to act as point-of-sale devices capable of securely processing contactless credit card payments in real time.
This feature will be available on buses and bus rapid transit, as well as Sound Transit light rail, Sounder trains and the Seattle Streetcar. It will soon be expanded to include Kitsap Transit fast boats and the King County Water Taxi.
Tap-to-pay will not initially work on Washington State Ferries, Seattle Monorail, King Country Metro Access, King Country Metro Vanpool, King County Metro DART, Metro Flex, Community Transit DART, Community Transit Zip Shuttle, Everett Paratransit, and Pierce Transit Runner.
More details on how tap to pay works:
- The tap-to-pay option charges the standard adult fare. Tap-to-pay riders will still receive ORCA’s two-hour transfer benefit, meaning a rider who taps one service can transfer within two hours without paying twice.
- Riders using discounted programs – including ORCA LIFT, senior, youth or employer-sponsored cards – should continue to use their ORCA cards. Cash and physical tickets will still be accepted.
- Each passenger must use their own card or device. One credit card cannot be used to pay for multiple passengers. However, a passenger with a physical credit card and a similar card in their mobile wallet can use each for two separate charges. Youth 18 and under ride free on Seattle-area rides.
- Fare checkers will not scan credit cards directly. Instead, passengers may be asked to provide the last four digits of the card used to confirm payment. ORCA officials said they are working on a solution that allows fare inspectors to verify payments faster with their machines.
Officials encouraged passengers to remove their credit cards or ORCA cards from their wallets when contacting students to avoid unauthorized card use.
For iPhone users who want to make their tap-to-pay experience even faster, Apple Wallet has a feature called Express Mode that allows transit passengers to pay for fares without getting up or unlocking their device.
Using the ORCA card within Apple Wallet is a separate feature and is not part of this launch. ORCA launched the Google Wallet feature for Android users in 2024.
For those looking to purchase tickets through the app, Transit GO allows iOS and Android users to pay for fares on King County Metro buses, Sound Transit trains, and other regional services using in-app tickets.
