ORCA Cards and Public Transportation

Where can I use my ORCA card?
Request or Replace Youth ORCA Cards
Taking the bus or light rail to school
Safety Tips
Youth Transit Education Resources

ORCA Cards

Youth who are under 19 years old ride public transportation for free! Using a Youth ORCA card is highly encouraged, but not required for free fare (except on Seattle Monorail). Tapping a Youth ORCA card helps transit agencies understand how to better serve youth riders, provides ridership data to the State of Washington, and simplifies fare enforcement.

The district no longer provides Youth ORCA cards to SPS students, but schools can partner with Metro to distribute cards. This requires designating an “ORCA Lead” or point person who is responsible for requesting, securely storing, tracking, and registering cards. Teachers and staff can find out more by emailing MetroYouth@kingcounty.gov.

Where can I use my ORCA card?

Your ORCA card can be used to take transit on services run by King County Metro, King County Water Taxi, Seattle Streetcar, Sound Transit, Community Transit, Pierce Transit, Kitsap Transit, Everett Transit, Seattle Center Monorail, Metro Flex, and as a passenger on Washington State Ferries.

Bus: Tap the ORCA card against the reader after getting on the bus. Pull the yellow cord before your stop to indicate to the driver you would like to exit.
Light Rail & Streetcar: Tap the ORCA card on the platform before getting on the train.

Each rider must tap their own ORCA card. Youth ORCA cards cannot be shared.

Assistance with Metro bus routes and schedules can be found at Metro’s website.

Request or Replace Youth ORCA Cards

Students or families can order a free Youth ORCA card at FreeYouthTransitPass.com with proof of age; the card will be mailed to you within about two weeks. If a card is lost, a new card can be ordered from the same website.

Taking the bus or light rail to school

Two people getting on the Metro Bus Route 7.

OneBusAway: download this app to know when your bus is coming (in real time).
Text for Departures: Find the next departure times at your stop by texting your stop ID to 62550. (Stop ID is found on the bus stop sign.)
Use King County Trip Planner (webpage and app) to plan your bus route.
Google Maps can also help find the best option.
Metro Flex is available in a few regions of the County. You can use an app or call a number for a Metro Flex van to pick you up and drop you off anywhere in the region – including school!

Sample transit routes and tips:

The D Line, and 15 stop adjacent to Ballard High School.

Bus tip! Sometimes it’s quickest to walk, bike, or skate to the bus stop even if it’s more than a few blocks away. For example, a student in East Magnolia could walk to catch the D Line on 15th Ave W. In 8 minutes, the D Line would drop them off at school.

The 22, 60, and the H Line stop within a few blocks of Chief Sealth High School.

Sample route: Students from South Park can take the 60 to get to school in about 30 minutes.

The 60 and 107 stop in front of Cleveland High School.

Bus tip! Sometimes it’s quickest to walk, bike, or skate to the bus stop even if it’s more than a few blocks away. For example, a student in the Rainier Beach or Mt Baker neighborhood could walk to catch the light rail to get off at Beacon Hill and take the 60 or 107 to school.

The 345, 346, and E Line all stop within a couple blocks of Ingraham High School.

Bus tip! Sometimes it’s quickest to walk, bike, or skate to the bus stop even if it’s more than a few blocks away. For example, a student in the North Beach neighborhood could walk to catch the E line and get dropped off within a block of school.

The 3, 4, 8, and 48 stop within a couple blocks of Garfield High School.

The 44, 62, 31, 32, and E Line all stop within a few blocks of Lincoln High School.

Bus tip! Sometimes it’s quickest to walk, bike, or skate to the bus stop even if it’s more than a few blocks away. For example, a student in North Queen Anne could walk to catch the 62 at the north side of the Fremont Bridge. In 7 minutes, the 62 would drop them off a block from school.

The 322, 372, and 65 all stop within a few blocks of Nathan Hale High School.

The 7, 9, and light rail stop within a few blocks of Rainier Beach High School, Franklin High School, and Alan T. Sugiyama High School.

The 67, 73, 79, 322, 522 and light rail stop within a couple blocks of Roosevelt High School.

The 4, 8, 14, and 48 all stop within a block of Washington Middle School.

Bus tip! Sometimes it’s quickest to walk, bike, or skate to the bus stop even if it’s more than a few blocks away. For example, a student on the west side of Beacon Hill could walk to catch the 8, 14, or 48 at the Mt Baker Transit Center and get dropped off within a block of school.

Safety Tips

Plan your trip ahead of time.
If you have a cellphone, make sure it’s charged.
If you feel unsafe while riding the bus, talk to the bus driver. Don’t be shy – they want to hear from you.
If you feel unsafe on Link light rail, text or call Sound Transit Security: 206-398-5268.
In an emergency, call or text 911.

Youth Transit Education Resources

Bus: Learn the basics of riding the bus from King County Metro’s Classroom Transit Education Program. Teachers can request presentations from Metro for their classrooms!
Light Rail: Request a presentation to learn how to ride Link Light Rail, get support using transit for field trips, and more from Sound Transit’s Youth Engagement Program