“Where to?” Wherever you’re headed, take Metro! Fares are required. If you have a disability, have a lower income or are a senior, you may qualify for a reduced fare. Youth 18 and younger can ride free with a  Free Youth Transit Pass.

Weekend Service Impacts

• 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 13, 14, 21, 24, 27, 28, 33, 40, 56, 62, 124, 131, 132, RapidRide C, D, E, and H Line will be affected by the closure of 3rd Avenue & Virginia Street from Friday, February 20 at 7 p.m. to Monday, February 23 at 5 a.m. due to construction;
• Route 49 will be rerouted off a portion of 10th Avenue E, E Roanoke Street and Harvard Avenue E from Friday, February 20 at 10 p.m. to Saturday, February 21 at 6 a.m. due to construction;

Full information available on our Service Advisories page. 

Service Reminders

• Take transit to all your sporting and community events in Seattle. Metro and Link light rail serve riders heading to T-Mobile Park, Husky Stadium, Lumen Field, and Climate Pledge Arena;
  • Seattle Sounders will have a match at 6:15 p.m. on Sunday at Lumen Field;
• Water Taxi is operating on the winter sailing schedule as of Saturday, October 11;
• Seattle Center Monorail will operate 7:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday, and 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. on Sunday. The Monorail will depart approximately every 10 minutes;
• Riders can use Text for Departures by texting their stop number to 62550 to get next departure times;
• Remember, it's free and easy to sign up for email or text alerts about King County Metro service. Alerts can be tailored to your favorite route(s).

Metro News

• Tap to Pay: Puget Sound Region Transit Systems to Accept Credit and Debit Cards, Digital Wallets as Fare Payment

• Recognizing Metro’s Operators of the Month

Tap to Pay: Puget Sound Region Transit Systems to Accept Credit and Debit Cards, Digital Wallets as Fare Payment

On February 23, ORCA is launching a new Tap to Pay feature allowing riders to use credit and debit cards, and digital wallets, to pay for transit across the Puget Sound region.

Riders can simply tap their contactless Visa, Mastercard, Discover® Network, or American Express credit or debit cards, or cards in digital wallets, using Apple Pay™, Google Pay™, or Samsung Pay™ to ride. This new feature expands access to public transportation and supports seamless travel experiences for both daily riders and visitors alike.

How the new Tap to Pay feature works

• Riders can pay for transit with most contactless-enabled credit or debit cards with a contactless symbol, or with digital credit or debit cards via Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Samsung Pay, by tapping their cards or smart devices on ORCA card readers.
• ORCA cards will still be issued and accepted across the region on buses, trains, and ferries. ORCA cards continue to provide the most cost-effective, convenient benefits for many riders across the region, especially those enrolled in free or reduced fare programs such as ORCA LIFT, Senior RRFP, Disabled RRFP, Youth, and those with employer or organization sponsored ORCA cards.
• Contactless payments through ORCA are not accepted on:
  • Seattle Monorail
  • Washington State Ferries
  • King County Metro DART, Community Vans, Metro Flex
  • Community Transit DART, Zip Shuttle
  • Pierce Transit SHUTTLE, Pierce Transit Runner
  • Everett Transit Paratransit
• Some of these services may offer other ways to pay using contactless payments outside of the ORCA system. Tap to Pay will soon be available on Kitsap Transit Fast Ferries, Foot Ferries, and King County Water Taxi.
• Riders paying with contactless credit or debit cards are charged an adult fare and will still receive the ORCA 2-hour transfer window benefit, allowing for seamless transfers across Puget Sound, as they do today.
• Riders cannot receive discounts (Senior, Youth, ORCA LIFT, Disabled) or passes. Riders with ORCA cards that receive discounts are encouraged to keep tapping their existing ORCA cards.
• Customers will not be able to pay for multiple riders or groups using one card or device. Every rider will need their own payment method.
• Cards need to be tapped directly on the ORCA card readers. Riders should remove physical cards from their wallets before tapping to avoid unwanted charges on other cards or tap failures.
• If you have both an ORCA card and a credit or debit card in Google Wallet™, the card reader should default to charging your digital ORCA card when tapped. If you wish to use a digital credit or debit card, select that form of payment on your smart device before tapping.
• For Apple Pay users with Express Mode enabled, riders can simply hold their iPhone or Apple Watch near a card reader to ride transit across the Puget Sound Region — without having to unlock or wake up their device. And with power reserve, if their iPhone needs to be charged, they can still use it to ride transit.
• Riders who tap with a contactless payment method may be subject to fare inspection on some services. Fare inspectors will not scan credit or debit cards; however, they will ask Tap to Pay riders to share the last 4 digits of their card number to confirm fare was paid. This allows fare inspectors to input the last 4 digits of the card used to confirm that the fare transaction occurred. More information on how fare inspection will work can be found here: https://info.myorca.com/contactless/#fareinspection

ORCA cards remain the best option for many, but this enhancement to the ORCA Product suite makes riding transit easier than ever for all types of riders.

Learn more with the Metro Matters blog.

Recognizing Metro’s Operators of the Month

Every month, operators from King County Metro’s seven transit bases select their fellow drivers for their positive contributions to Metro and recognize them as Operators of the Month. The operators selected demonstrate safe driving skills, show courteous and helpful attitudes toward customers, and pay conscientious attention to attendance, appearance, and discipline.

Please join us in congratulating them. The Operators of the Month have the privilege of coming together later to vote on who among them will be Metro’s Operator of the Year!

Read more about our dedicated operators on the Metro Matters blog. 

Metro is hiring transit operators (bus drivers) and trades professionals to keep the region moving. Visit kingcounty.gov/MetroCareers to learn more.