Employee ORCA Card & Ferry Pass Subsidies

Employee ORCA Card Transit Pass

The ORCA Card is a regional, public transit pass which can be used by employees to ride regular Metro, Sound Transit, Pierce Transit, Kitsap Transit, Community Transit, and Everett Transit bus service anytime, anywhere all over King, Snohomish, Pierce, and Kitsap Counties. The pass is available to employees at a subsidized rate and can be used for personal as well as college use.

Public transportation includes: Link Light Rail system, Metro streetcars (the South Lake Union Trolley and the Broadway streetcar), the Sounder Train (Everett to Tacoma), some Amtrak Cascades trains between Seattle and Everett, the King County Water Taxis (West Seattle and Vashon routes) and the Kitsap Transit Foot Ferry (Port Orchard and Annapolis Routes) as well as the Bremerton-Seattle Fast Ferry.

Employee Orca Card

To be eligible for a subsidized ORCA Card, an employee must join the District's Transportation Management Plan (TMP) which offers incentives for using smart transportation methods of commuting. Employees may buy either the ORCA Card or the parking permit, but cannot purchase both according to employee Orca rules (pdf).

Employee ORCA CARDs cost $51 per quarter, plus $10 TMP quarterly fee.

How to purchase ORCA Cards—permanent, fulltime or benefits eligible employees

1. Payroll deduction is available to permanent employees with at least 50 percent employment.

• Complete the ORCA/TMP payroll deduction form.
• Submit the form to the Transportation Services Office.
• Pick up ORCA Cards from the Transportation Services Office.
• ORCA cards are renewed on a yearly basis and automatically re–loaded each quarter.
• New cards are not needed each quarter.

Summer Quarter Options for full–time faculty: If an employee has payroll deduction and wants to use the ORCA card during the summer months while not teaching, do nothing and the entire summer quarter fee will be deducted from the end–of–year paycheck.

2. Quarterly payment is available for part–time, hourly and temporary employees.

Complete the employee transportation quarterly form (pdf).

• Submit TMP and Payroll Deduction forms to the Cashier's Office.
• Pay for and receive the ORCA Card in the Cashier–s Office.
• Cards are generally available one week prior to the quarter start.
• No refunds are given for either the ORCA Card or the TMP fee.
• ORCA Cards may be replaced for $10 if lost or stolen.
• Report lost card immediately to the Transportation Services Office.
• Submit an employee ORCA Card replacement form (pdf) to the Transportation Services Office.

Employee Ferry Reimbursement

Employees who use the Washington State Ferries as walk on passengers, bike riders or carpool passengers may be eligible to receive up to $58 in reimbursement per month. Checks will be sent within two weeks of submission date. To qualify:

• Be a permanent employee working at least 50 percent.
• Participant in the Transportation Management Plan (TMP)
• Did not purchase an ORCA Card or parking permit from Seattle Central.
• Use the ferry service as part of daily commute.
• Submit the following to the Transportation Services Office:
  • Original receipt from ferry pass or vanpool
  • Dated receipt must match the requested month

Note: If you take transit to the ferry terminal using an ORCA Card, please purchase a separate ferry pass rather than loading up the Seattle Central issued ORCA Card.

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).