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  2 0 I have one, with a monthly pass, it works great. I rode on one bus where the reader wasn't working, so I just showed the driver my card, no biggie. I like that I don't have to go down to the office buy a new pass every month. Welcome to the 21st Century, Metro! (minus the all-bus system part, but you're tryin') boxofbirds answered in City Living over 3 years ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question New comments are not being accepted at this time.

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  2 0 You might find some useful responses at: http://questionland.thestranger.com/questions/1289-whats-all-this-i-hear-about-orca-cards-not-working If anything, get one, put $5 on it, use it a few times, and see how you like it. The earlier response posted here seems to imply that Orca is just an e-purse. The Orca card can be both an e-purse and a regional pass. stinkbug answered in City Living over 3 years ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question New comments are not being accepted at this time.

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• Reputation: 113 Q&A: 0 0 5 35 22 0 Classifieds: 0 0 what's this? Follow Following 0 That guy

  1 0 I use it and I find it far more convenient than the tickets/cash I was using for a variety of reasons... First I don't have to carry around the tickets any more - which means no more forgeting the tickets in my other jacket or other b.s. like that. I always have the card in my wallet. I also like it because I only get charged the exact amount of the fare. I no longer lose the quarter in non-peak hours. Not a huge deal, but still. I can add money to it outside of metro station customer service business hours. Transfer tickets are no longer needed. The card tracks my time won't charge me if I'm still within the alloted time. It can be used ferries, trains, etc. as well. So that's kind of cool. The only reason I wouldn't get the orca card is if I only road the bus and I road the bus everyday - weekends included. Then I would get an actual pass. But you have to ride it everyday, more than once a day for the pass to make financial sense. I think you need to take around 36 seperate 2.50 trips a month for a monthly pass to start working in your favor. That guy answered in City Living over 3 years ago | Report 2 comments by boxofbirds and Megan Seling… 0 0 You can buy a monthly/yearly pass online and it shows up on your Orca card, no more need to buy the swipe pass. boxofbirds commented over 3 years ago | Report 0 0 That's good to know, thanks! And I didn't know you could get passes with the Orca card--that's smart. Thanks! Megan Seling commented over 3 years ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question New comments are not being accepted at this time.

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  1 0 In brief: Yes and Yes! I got my Orca card (at $0) as soon as I could *because* the technology wouldn't be in tip-top shape on the buses! If one rides the bus, and the machine on the bus malfunctions, one gets a free ride. Many buses this month have Orca scanners that were or are out of order. I have an Orca card. What does this mean? Free ride, babe! ... I know I can't make the above assumptions forever, and I want our public transit to make money too, duh. But the serious reason I like the Orca card is that I can just go online and reload it every month and keep the same card. I no longer have to go to the Metro Pass Sales Aisle Of Hell on 2nd and Jackson and wait forever, nor do I have to guess whether I'll get my new monthly pass in the mail by the end of the month or not. Mackro Mackro answered in City Living over 3 years ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question New comments are not being accepted at this time.

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  0 0 Totally worth it. The readers are sometimes not working, but when that happens you just ride for free. It's the only way to get a bus transfer to count for the train, or vice versa. Also, idiot-proof transfers, even when they involve multiple zones, because the transfers go onto the card; no more paper transfers to lose or be disfigured. Get an orca card now, while they're still free. They are going to start charging for them in a month or so. Lack Thereof answered in City Living over 2 years ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question New comments are not being accepted at this time.

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  0 0 I've been using the ORCA card for a couple months and here are my observations: 1. the cardreaders onboard the buses (or the RFID chips themselves) are very unreliable. Often times I have to scan multiple times for my card to register. 2. When purchasing passes online, do it at least one week in advance of the day the pass is to start. It takes several days for the transaction to clear, and you could be left without a pass for the first few days of the month. 3. The ORCA customer service number is out of order as of 7.8.09. Isaiah Baker answered in City Living over 2 years ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question New comments are not being accepted at this time.

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  0 0 Yes, get one. I like that I don't have to get a new card every month, and I also like that I don't have to carry around a bunch of quarters. On the very few occasions my Puget Pass hasn't worked, the bus drivers have just let me on the bus, so the malfunctions have yet to cost me anything. Andy answered in City Living over 3 years ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question New comments are not being accepted at this time.

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  0 0 Yes, for anyone who rides the bus occasionally, they're awesome. I've had zero issues with mine the three or four times I've used it. I even scored a free ride for my girlfriend when the driver couldn't figure out how to charge two fares. Lilting Missive answered in City Living over 3 years ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question New comments are not being accepted at this time.

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