Tap to Pay for Puget Sound Region Transit Systems

Author: LaNaya Taylor

cartoon image of all the ways to pay for transit

Area Transit Providers to Accept Credit and Debit Cards, Digital Wallets as Fare Payment

On February 23, ORCA is launching a new Tap to Pay feature allowing riders to use credit and debit cards, and digital wallets, to pay for transit across the Puget Sound region.

Riders can simply tap their contactless Visa, Mastercard, Discover® Network, or American Express credit or debit cards, or cards in digital wallets, using Apple Pay™, Google Pay™, or Samsung Pay™ to ride. This new feature expands access to public transportation and supports seamless travel experiences for both daily riders and visitors alike.

This new feature also comes as Seattle and the Puget Sound region prepare to host several large events in 2026. With many international visitors expected to travel across the region, Tap to Pay simplifies transit and aligns with global expectations for convenient payment options.

“The addition of Tap to Pay is a major milestone for transit in King County,” said King County Executive Girmay Zahilay. “It brings our system into the modern era and makes everyday trips more convenient for riders while opening the door for more people to choose transit. As we prepare to welcome the world to our region this summer, visitors will be able to explore King County with the same seamless experience.”

“Making transit an easier choice is fundamental to everything we do at Sound Transit,” said Sound Transit Chief Executive Officer Dow Constantine. “Adding Tap to Pay as a fare option increases rider convenience and helps occasional riders get on board.”

“Adding Tap to Pay is a major step forward in how our region moves people and delivers on our commitment to making Puget Sound a modern, transit-friendly destination,” said Christina O’Claire, ORCA Joint Board Chair and King County Metro Mobility Division Director. “By giving visitors the ability to tap and ride using the cards they already carry, ORCA is removing barriers and creating a welcoming and inclusive transit experience. This launch ensures our regional transit system is easy to use and benefits both residents and the global community we’re preparing to host.”

How the new Tap to Pay feature works:

  • Riders can pay for transit with most contactless-enabled credit or debit cards with a contactless symbol, , or with digital credit or debit cards via Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Samsung Pay, by tapping their cards or smart devices on ORCA card readers.
  • ORCA cards will still be issued and accepted across the region on buses, trains, and ferries. ORCA cards continue to provide the most cost-effective, convenient benefits for many riders across the region, especially those enrolled in free or reduced fare programs such as ORCA LIFT, Senior RRFP, Disabled RRFP, Youth, and those with employer or organization sponsored ORCA cards.
  • Contactless payments through ORCA are not accepted on:
    • Seattle Monorail
    • Washington State Ferries
    • King County Metro DART, Community Vans, Metro Flex
    • Community Transit DART, Zip Shuttle
    • Pierce Transit SHUTTLE, Pierce Transit Runner
    • Everett Transit Paratransit

Some of these services may offer other ways to pay using contactless payments outside of the ORCA system. Tap to Pay will soon be available on Kitsap Transit Fast Ferries, Foot Ferries, and King County Water Taxi.

  • Riders paying with contactless credit or debit cards are charged an adult fare and will still receive the ORCA 2-hour transfer window benefit, allowing for seamless transfers across Puget Sound, as they do today.
  • Riders cannot receive discounts (Senior, Youth, ORCA LIFT, Disabled) or passes. Riders with ORCA cards that receive discounts are encouraged to keep tapping their existing ORCA cards.
  • Customers will not be able to pay for multiple riders or groups using one card or device. Every rider will need their own payment method.
  • Cards need to be tapped directly on the ORCA card readers. Riders should remove physical cards from their wallets before tapping to avoid unwanted charges on other cards or tap failures.
  • If you have both an ORCA card and a credit or debit card in Google Wallet™, the card reader should default to charging your digital ORCA card when tapped. If you wish to use a digital credit or debit card, select that form of payment on your smart device before tapping.
  • For Apple Pay users with Express Mode enabled, riders can simply hold their iPhone or Apple Watch near a card reader to ride transit across the Puget Sound Region — without having to unlock or wake up their device. And with power reserve, if their iPhone needs to be charged, they can still use it to ride transit.
  • Riders who tap with a contactless payment method may be subject to fare inspection on some services. Fare inspectors will not scan credit or debit cards; however, they will ask Tap to Pay riders to share the last 4 digits of their card number to confirm fare was paid. This allows fare inspectors to input the last 4 digits of the card used to confirm that the fare transaction occurred. More information on how fare inspection will work can be found here: https://info.myorca.com/contactless/#fareinspectionGo to https://info.myorca.com/contactless/#fareinspection

ORCA cards remain the best option for many, but this enhancement to the ORCA Product suite makes riding transit easier than ever for all types of riders.

Image courtesy of Sound Transit.

“The completion of the 2 Line exponentially expands employment, housing and recreation opportunities for people on the east and west sides of Lake Washington,” King County Executive and Sound Transit Boadmember Girmay Zahilay. “When the 2 Line opens, it will serve 26 stations and more than 35 miles, while knitting together first King County cities and two Snohomish County cities, creating new transit hubs throughout the region.”

Sound Transit announced that the Crosslake connection will open for riders on March 28th. This is the final segment of the 2 Line which will cross Lake Washington and connect with the 1 Line at International District/Chinatown Station, creating a fully integrated regional light rail system. This new addition to the East Link included two new stations, Mercer Island and Judkins Park.

The 2 Line will operate between Lynnwood and Redmond in addition to the 1 Line between Federal Way and Lynnwood. Service will run on the 1 and 2 Lines from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. Monday-Saturday and from 6 a.m-midnight on Sundays. Trains will run every 8 minutes during peak times at the new stations and between 10-15 minutes the rest of the day. Combined 1 Line and 2 Line headways between Lynnwood and International District/Chinatown will be every 4 minutes, providing addtional capacity through the busy core of the system.

To keep up with opening day events and details visit https://www.soundtransit.org/crosslake This link will be updated as plans continue to be finalized. Check back often to stay up to date.

Do you have questions about transit? Are you in need of a new ORCA card?

King County Metro’s Neighborhood Pop-Up Program returns to Redmond this month on a regular schedule. On the second Tuesday of each month King County Metro staff will set up at the Redmond Library (15990 NE 85th St. Redmond, WA) and on the fourth Tuesday of each month they will be at the Redmond Senior & Community Center (8703 160th Ave NE. Redmond, WA) from 1:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m.

During pop-up events community members can get new ORCA cards, add fare to existing ORCA cards, replace lost or damaged ORCA cards, get new senior and disabled Regional Reduced Fare Permits, and register free youth ORCA cards. Staff will be onsite to answer any questions you have about Metro services.

For more information about the program you can visit the Neighborhood Pop-Up website.

On August 30th Metro launched their fall service change, which added more than 900 weekly bus trips to better serve Eastside communities, improve 2 Line connections, and added a pilot Metro Flex zone in Overlake.

Some highlights from the service changes that are specific to Redmond include:

New Route 222: Connecting Overlake, Idylwood, downtown Redmond, Education Hill and Cottage Lake, and the 2 Line at Downtown Redmond and Redmond Technology Stations.

New Route 223: Connecting Eastgate, Lake Hills, Overlake and 2 Line service at Downtown Redmond Station, with more frequent 20 minute weekday service.

DART Route 224: Between Duvall and Redmond will improve to service every 60 minutes.

DART Route 249: Will improve to service to every 30 minutes on weekdays with hourly service added from 7 to 9 p.m. connecting Redmond Technology Station, Overlake, downtown Bellevue, and South Bellevue Station.

Launched this summer Route 930 (Kirkland, Redmond): Metro added evening trips to create steady hourly service from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends. Riders can request off route trips in the Route 930 DART service areas along Willows Road.

To better understand the route changes in your area visit this King County Metro Blog post.

RSVP for the August 20th meeting on the pilot program

The problem: A Parking Mismatch 

Downtown Redmond has plenty of parking. Nearly 10,000 spaces or 92% of Downtown’s parking sit on private property. Much of it is underused with capacity that sits empty, even during peak times of the day.

Meanwhile, people are looking for parking for dinner, errands, shopping, or riding light rail.

The Solution: Shared Parking Pilot

The City of Redmond and Move Redmond are launching a pilot program to match underused private stalls with the people who need them.

How it works:


We Need Your Voice at the Table! 

We’re convening property owners and business leaders for three crucial summits on unlocking the revenue and parking potential of Shared Parking in Downtown Redmond.

RSVP for one of these discussions to explore how Shared Parking can benefit your property, business, and Downtown community.

 Together Center – August 20, 2025 from 4:00pm-5:30pm RSVP Here
September Date TBA

Marymoor Village and Downtown Redmond light rail stations will open on Saturday, May 10! Join Go Redmond in celebrating at the Downtown Redmond Station (16220 NE 76th St. Redmond, WA 98052).

Downtown Redmond Station Program

10:30 a.m.- noon: Speakers and ribbon cutting.

Noon- 4 p.m.: Community celebration with music, dancing, bike rides, crafts, and more!

Microsoft will provide shuttles between parking at Redmond Technology Station and Marymoor Village Station every 15 minutes from 9 a.m. until service begins around noon, before the trains are service, to get people parked and to the to the Downtown Redmond Station for the ribbon cutting.

Getting There

Light Rail

Light rail trains will begin service at Downtown Redmond and Marymoor Village shortly after the ribbon cutting is complete at noon. After the ribbon is cut passengers can take light rail from any of the stations along the 2 Line into Downtown Redmond.

Bus

King County Metro Route 250, RapidRide B Line, and Sound Transit Express 545 all serve the Downtown Redmond Station. Check out Sound Transit’s Trip Planner to see which bus will be most convenient for you.

Walking, biking and rolling

Festivities are both on the Redmond Central Connector Trail near the Downtown Redmond Station and at Marymoor Village, which is 1.5 miles away along the Redmond Central Connector Trail. Explore the Redmond Trail Map and the interactive Redmond Bike Map to plan your route on foot or on wheels.

There is plenty of bike parking on site to safely leave your wheels behind while you celebrate.