Transfer Questions

When does transfer value expire?

Transfer value expires two hours after a fare is paid. Riders using cash instead of an ORCA card to transfer between one mode of service and another, or to transfer between one transit agency and another, will pay the full fare for each leg of their ride.

How do transfers work? Do I need a paper transfer?

Paper transfers are no longer issued or accepted on Community Transit, Everett Transit, Kitsap Transit or Sound Transit. King County Metro and Pierce Transit still offer paper transfers that are good within their own systems. Washington State Ferries does not accept transfers value. Cash is stilled accepted by all seven of the ORCA partner agencies. Riders using cash instead of an ORCA card to transfer between different agencies' systems will pay the full fare for each leg of their ride. Paying with an ORCA card lets you transfer the full value of the fare paid on the first leg of a trip and apply it towards any transfer to a participating agency service. The transfer is valid for up to 2 hours. If the initial trip is less than the amount of fare required for a transfer, you will need to pay the difference with cash. For example, Joe's ORCA card is loaded with a $3 PugetPass and $50 in his E-purse. He wants to take the bus from Tacoma to Seattle and transfer ride the train back to Tacoma. His bus trip costs $3 which his $3 PugetPass covers. He then transfers to the train to Tacoma. He taps on before boarding in Seattle and when he taps off the train in Tacoma a $1.75 is automatically deducted from his E-purse. Since the cost of the train trip from Seattle to Tacoma is $4.75, he was able to carry the transfer value of $3 and only pay an additional $1.75 to cover his trip. Cash customers will have to pay for each leg of their trip. Using the previous example, if Joe was paying cash, he would have to pay $3 for his bus trip and another $4.75 for his train trip to Tacoma.