Transit card system to be tested

Published 9:00 pm Monday, August 28, 2006

Riding a bus or train in the Puget Sound region is about to get smarter.

Seven transit agencies are developing a “smart card,” an electronic device that will allow riders to take any of the seven major transit systems in the Puget Sound region.

The one-stop-shopping nickname will be ORCA: One Regional Card for All.

The card won’t debut until 2008, but Community Transit, Everett Transit, Sound Transit and others are looking for volunteers to test the program now.

Community Transit will test the technology on five of its routes and three routes it operates for Sound Transit. Riders on those routes will have an 85 percent to 95 percent chance of riding on a smart card bus during the test, said Pat Tose, smart card project coordinator for Community Transit.

Everett Transit is testing the technology on its Route 9, with the smart card buses mainly operating on weekdays, said John Peterson, the agency’s program manager.

“It’s been a complex project to put together,” Peterson said. “We’re anxious to see how it works.”

The new cards will replace cash and older bus passes. As they do with an ATM card, riders will swipe their ORCA card over a reader at the front of the bus or train car. The fare is instantly deducted from the rider’s account and credited to the proper agency.

Those who participate in the test will ride for free, but they are still encouraged to buy their regular transit passes because not all buses and trains are participating in the test.

And officials warn that sometimes the system may not work. It is a test, after all.

Reporter Lukas Velush: 425-339-3449 or lvelush@heraldnet.com.

Volunteers needed for technology test

Volunteers are sought to test the Puget Sound region’s new electronic transit fare system. When the system is fully operational in 2008, riders will be able to use a smart card to take any bus or train in the region.

Volunteers are being sought now for a test that will go from November to the end of December.

Riders on the following routes can participate in the test:

Sound Transit: Routes 510, 511 and 513

Community Transit: Routes 100, 101, 114, 115 and 116

Everett Transit: Route 9

To sign up, go to www.orcatest.com or call 888-988-ORCA.