Transit riders can now convert plastic ORCA farecards into digital farecards through the Google Wallet phone app, Sound Transit announced this week.
This upgrade in technology adds convenience, especially for “customers that are putting their sports tickets, event tickets and credit cards onto their phones, and dumping a [physical] wallet,” said Chris McKnight, acting ORCA director.
Google Pay ORCA cards can be downloaded to Android phones, and Wear OS watches. Apple iPhones don’t accommodate digital ORCA yet and Sound Transit has no forecast for how soon they will.
Some transit riders clamored for years about a lack of fully electronic fare media, while some other cities worldwide launched phone apps or even direct payment by physical and virtual credit cards.
Travelers who switch to phone-based ORCA will find their plastic farecards automatically disabled. Instruction videos can be found on the myorca.com website.
Transit officials listed five steps to get started:
- Open Google Wallet
- Select “Add to Wallet”
- Choose “Transit Pass”
- Search for “ORCA”
- Tap “ORCA.”
McKnight said customers merely have to wake up their homescreens to make digital ORCA readable at fare-detection machines, without needing to even open a Google Wallet icon.
People won’t be charged a fee to convert plastic farecards to phone-based farecards. Those creating an all new ORCA account via Google Wallet will pay a $3 service fee, McKnight said.
He emphasized that businesses may need some time to process and distribute the new phone-based ORCA for thousands of employer-subsidized fare passes. Many people will try converting to Google Wallet and might be rejected online, until the employer fully enables that. Customers should contact their workplace benefits or transportation specialist for updates.
All normal farecard functions, including discounted ORCA Lift, disabled or senior passes, along with the myorca.com website to settle accounts, will stay the same. King County Metro’s phone-based Transit Go app, which is used to order trip tickets and all-day passes, is totally separate and unchanged.
Phone-based ORCA was supposed to begin last year, but McKnight said more time was needed to perfect the user experience, and to design the tools for employers to manage the fare accounts.
Transit agencies spent about $1 million on development costs including outside contractors, said Sound Transit spokesperson David Jackson.
About 93% of users reported being satisfied with ORCA, according to the latest internal survey. Last month, 431,000 different people used an ORCA farecard for at least one trip in King, Snohomish, Pierce or Kitsap counties, according to operating statistics.
Phone-based ORCA is accepted wherever farecards are used: King County Metro buses and water taxis, Sound Transit, Community Transit, Washington State Ferries, Kitsap Transit, Pierce Transit, Everett Transit, Seattle Streetcar and Seattle Center Monorail.