Tech
Seattle transit’s new ‘tap-to-pay’ feature goes live next week as region gears up for World Cup
The ubiquitous tap-to-pay technology now common in grocery stores and coffee shops is coming to Seattle-area buses and trains next week.
Starting Monday, Feb. 23, ORCA will accept contactless credit and debit cards, along with digital wallets such as Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay, across the Seattle region.
That means riders can simply tap their smartphones, digital watches, or physical cards against ORCA readers to pay for their fare.
“We know that people are very familiar with tapping credit cards and that contactless systems are just a part of our everyday life — and now that is part of public transit in the Puget Sound,” said ORCA Joint Board Chair Christina O’Claire.
GeekWire covered the news last month. A soft launch began earlier in 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 tech company that helps power ORCA payment functionality.
The rollout comes as Seattle prepares to host the FIFA World Cup this summer, when hundreds of thousands of visitors are expected to rely on public transit.
“We are ready to welcome soccer-loving, transit-loving fans from around the world,” said Dow Constantine, CEO of Sound Transit.
It also comes ahead of next month’s debut of the new light rail line across Lake Washington connecting Seattle and Bellevue.
The technical upgrade is aimed at making transit easier for occasional riders, tourists, and anyone who doesn’t already carry an ORCA card — while modernizing fare payment across the region’s patchwork of transit agencies. By streamlining fare collection, agencies hope to speed up boarding during peak travel times and large events.
ORCA’s operations team worked with Init to implement Visa’s Mass Transit Transaction (MTT) payment model, which allows ORCA fare readers to function as point-of-sale devices capable of securely processing contactless credit card payments in real time.
The 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 expand to Kitsap Transit fast ferries and the King County Water Taxi.
Tap-to-pay will not initially work on Washington State Ferries, the 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.
Some 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 the two-hour ORCA transfer benefit, meaning a rider who taps onto 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 using their ORCA cards. Cash and physical tickets will still be accepted.
- Each rider must use their own card or device. One credit card cannot be used to pay for multiple passengers. However, a rider with a physical credit card and the same card in their mobile wallet can use each for two separate fares. Youth aged 18 and under ride for free on Seattle-area transit.
- Fare inspectors will not scan credit cards directly. Instead, riders 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 more quickly verify payment with their own devices.
Officials encouraged riders to take their credit cards or ORCA cards out of their wallet when they tap readers to avoid having the wrong card used.
For iPhone users looking to make their tap-to-pay experience even faster, Apple Wallet has a feature called Express Mode that lets transit riders pay for fares without waking or unlocking their device.
Using an ORCA card inside Apple Wallet is a separate feature and not part of this launch. ORCA launched a Google Wallet feature for Android users in 2024.
For those who want to purchase tickets via an app, Transit GO allows iOS and Android users to pay fares on King County Metro buses, Sound Transit trains, and other regional transit services using in-app ticketing.