If you want the lowest possible bus fare, the steps to get it may be stricter than you’d like.
Mark Mahnkey of Lynnwood went in to Sound Transit to get an ORCA reduced fare permit, which allows him to pay less to ride the bus or train as a senior citizen.
He was told he had to register the permit in his real name, rather than a pseudonym, as he preferred.
“The ORCA people, when I protested, said it must be so,” he said. He skipped it. “I can pay my two bucks in cash, which causes them to spend more money accounting for the cash than if they would code my ORCA for the senior fare.”
It may a pain — but it’s probably a fairly routine pain.
“To be eligible for a reduced fare, senior or disabled riders provide proof of eligibility under the Regional Reduced Fare Permit program,” said Cheryl Huston, ORCA program administrator. “This governs reduced fare for transit agencies in most of Western Washington, not just the ORCA agencies.”
Youth and low-income passes also require some validation to be eligible to pay a reduced fare, she added.
Transit agencies aren’t the only ones to require some sort of screening process for assistance.
For example, the nonprofit Catholic Community Services offers free transportation assistance, and requires a verification process to make sure potential clients meet the program’s aim to serve only low-income elders and disabled adults.
At one point, Mahnkey said he was told that the Puget Sound Regional Council came up with the rules.
To be clear, that’s not the case.
The PSRC itself doesn’t require seniors to register ORCA cards in their name — or any name at all, really, said Gil Cerise of the Special Needs Transportation Committee.
But the Memorandum of Agreement it helped facilitate with area transit agencies for the Regional Reduced Fare Permit program does require verification that a person is a resident of the region and over the age of 65.
And that might require giving your name.
The permit is a deal, offering fares even lower than low-income riders can get with ORCA Lift.
The typical multi-county fare for a Sound Transit Express bus, for example, is $3.75 for most adults and $2.75 for low-income ORCA Lift pass holders as well as youth, but just $1.75 for senior and disabled riders with the Regional Reduced Fare Permit.
Not surprisingly, there have been problems with fraud in the past.
“So, agencies develop methods of verifying eligibility in order to reduce the incidence of fraud,” Cerise noted.
Mahnkey’s not buying it.
The local teenager isn’t required to give his name to get the youth rate, he noted.
“They can see my age,” he said. “Why do they care what my name is?”
How to get one
The Regional Reduced Fare Permit is available for seniors and individuals with disabilities to pay lower fares on buses, trains and ferries across the region.
It’s good with Community Transit, Everett Transit and Sound Transit, as well as Clallam Transit, Intercity Transit (Thurston County), Jefferson Transit, Kitsap Transit, Mason Transit, Metro Transit (King County), Pierce Transit, Skagit Transit, Whatcom Transportation Authority, and state and King and Pierce county ferries.
The permit itself is not necessarily valid fare payment, but you can get a special ORCA Reduced Fare Permit card. (If you have an older permit, you can exchange it for an ORCA Reduced Fare Permit at no cost.)
To get the permit, riders need to provide photo ID, proof of a disability and forms signed by their doctor, if required, and pay a $3 fee.
The full list of requirements to qualify for a permanent permit:
– be 65 years of age or older; or
– be currently certified by the Veterans Administration at a 40 percent or greater disability level; or
– have valid Regional ADA paratransit card; or
– have an obvious physical impairment(s) meeting medical conditions for the program; or
– have certification from a physician, psychiatrist, psychologist, advanced registered nurse practitioner, physician assistant or audiologist as meeting one or more of the medical conditions established for this program; or
– have a Washington Department of Licensing issued identification card for a disabled parking placard and another government photo ID
Washington State Ferries suggests you bring proof of age (65 and older), proof of disability or a valid Medicare card to your local transit agency’s customer service office. For the best service, the agency recommends going between the 10th and the 20th of the month. If you’re just looking for the senior discount, there could be a mail-order option.
More information
Community Transit RideStore, 20110 46th Ave. W, Lynnwood, 425-348-2350
Online: communitytransit.org/reducedfarepermit
Everett Transit, 3201 Smith Ave., 425-257-7777
Online: www.everetttransit.org/166
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