Should I get an ORCA card visiting Seattle?

In Seattle, you must use buses if you wish to get out into the neighborhoods, including major tourist attractions. Get yourself an ORCA card. We mean this. Yes, it costs you an extra $5, but it will save you a ton of headaches dealing with a thicket of fare policies, overlapping agencies, and transfer rules.



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The easiest way to pay for your ride is with an ORCA card, which you can purchase at a ticket machine. Ticket machines accept cash and credit/debit cards such as Visa or MasterCard. Or buy a ticket on your phone with the Transit GO Ticket app. Buses also accept exact cash fares.

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Sound Transit requires fares on all buses and trains, except for youth 18 and under. Use your ORCA card or the Transit GO Ticket app for touch-free payment.

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Some of the best ways to get around Seattle include walking, public transportation, driving, biking, and using the ferries. How you choose to explore Seattle depends on your itinerary, budget, and preferred level of comfort.

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With 3 to 4 days in the city, it's easy to experience the best of Seattle: you focus first on the city's core, and then venture out onto the water or to one of the city's parks. Stay in a hotel in the downtown core, like Hotel Max, for the easiest travel around the city.

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Discover the 10 most walkable neighborhoods in Seattle: If you love walking to your favorite destinations and nearby amenities, these neighborhoods are for you!
  • International District. 98 / 100. ...
  • Downtown Seattle. 98 / 100. ...
  • Belltown. 98 / 100. ...
  • First Hill. ...
  • Pioneer Square. ...
  • South Lake Union. ...
  • Yesler Terrace. ...
  • University District.


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Seattle Housing Authority residents may request a free ORCA card by emailing [email protected] or calling (206) 615-3551.

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The ORCA cards provided by Amazon are special 'monthly pass' cards, but you need either an ORCA E-Purse car or a Monthly Washington State Ferry Pass to be loaded onto your card to use the ferries. How might the policy change on remote work at Amazon affect its employees, and why did they stage a protest over it?

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ORCA cards cannot be tapped multiple times on a single journey and each rider must tap their own ORCA card. Assistance with Metro bus routes and schedules can be found at Metro's website.

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The maximum amount of E-purse value that may be held on an ORCA Card at any time is $400. E-purse value on an ORCA Card is deducted to cover the applicable fare of a trip less any transfer value (except on Washington State Ferries where no transfer value is recognized).

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Before boarding Link light rail, RapidRide, Swift, the Sounder commuter train, and the Seattle Streetcar, tap your ORCA card on a yellow card reader outside/on the platform. When you ext Link and Sounder, retap your ORCA card to compete the trip.

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Seattle Center Monorail accepts ORCA card transfers from other transit systems. ORCA transfers are made electronically. If you use an ORCA card that is loaded with a bus pass or E-purse, you will get a two-hour transfer credit for the fare paid.

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The ORCA card (standing for One Regional Card for All) is a contactless, stored-value smart card system for public transit in the Puget Sound region of Washington, United States.

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ORCA Cards can be used on ferries operated by King County (West Seattle water taxis) and Kitsap County (Port Orchard and Annapolis and Fast Ferry from Bremerton).

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Avoid downtown Seattle's 3rd Avenue, particularly between Pike and Pine, and James and Yesler. Pioneer Square, SoDo, the International District, First Hill, and certain parts of Belltown can be a bit sketchy. That said, visitors should exercise caution when exploring at night.

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