|
|
Quick Bites of Our Transportation Access Programs (TAP) Stories Below!
- 10,000 SHA residents can pick up their new, fully-subsidized SHA Transit Passes
- Angee is joining the TAP team as an intern to support our upcoming research project, SEAT-U
- Submit your transit news to be featured in our newsletter
|
|
We are Distributing Fully Subsidized ORCA Cards to 10,000 SHA Residents
TAP is excited to announced that our SHA Transit Pass Program has expanded to all 102 SHA-owned and -managed properties! This program is a partnership between the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) and the Seattle Housing Authority (SHA) that offers SHA residents a fully subsidized ORCA card to take transit at no cost to them through December 2026. Originally a pilot program limited to just around 2,000 residents, the SHA Transit Pass Program recently grew to cover over 10,000 residents. Any adult listed on the lease of an SHA-owned and managed property is eligible to pick up an SHA ORCA card.
Eligible residents can fill out an online registration form or stop by any of our 29 distribution events happening through early March to pick up a card. We ask that folks bring an ID, letter, or other unofficial document with their name on it when they come get their card. Visit our webpage or call (206) 615-5331 for full details!
SHA residents have told with us how transformative this program will be to their families. In our first week of events, we distributed almost 600 new ORCA cards! At our first distribution event at Hoa Mai Gardens last Tuesday, Yesler resident Moxie Hubbard shared her enthusiasm at being able to take transit and explore all that the city has to offer. “My family has never been on a train (any rails), ferry, let alone a streetcar, and have never seen so many different forms of transportation! Not only do we want to discover where and what different places can be discovered, but my goal is to ride every King County Metro Transit bus, etc. so that we can see and explore the locations of where the transportation begins, ends, and where they go.”
Qween’B King-Rios, another Yesler resident, spoke about how the SHA Transit Pass Program will enable her to access places of daily life. “The free ORCA card will allow me to go doctor appointments, shopping, school, and training programs without worrying about how I will get there. Thank you.”
While TAP is spearheading this expansion, staff from other areas of SDOT, SHA, and other agency partners have stepped up to help with distribution efforts. It’s been fulfilling and fun to meet and chat with our neighbors! Join SDOT, Mayor Harrell, Seattle Times, and KUOW in spreading the word about this expansion to your community!
|
 SHA residents line up at our first distribution event at Hoa Mai Gardens in Yesler early last week
|
 SHA residents register for their SHA Transit Passes with the help of interpreters
|
|
|
The SEAT-U Project Team is Growing! Welcome, Angee!
TAP is excited to welcome our new intern, Angee, to our team! Angee is a student of sociology at the University of Washington, where she is conducting qualitative research on the impacts of school meal debt policies on student outcomes. Most recently working for the King County Council, she is experienced in community engagement, intergovernmental relations, and communications. In their free time, Angee enjoys painting, rollerblading, playing ukulele, and traveling. We’re happy to have Angee on board!
Angee will be supporting the Seattle Equitable Access to Transit - Uplift Northwest project (SEAT-U). This is an upcoming joint research project with the TAP Team, Uplift Northwest, and the University of Notre Dame’s Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO) to evaluate the job impacts of a fully subsidized transit card on low-income workers. While TAP already supports work for low-income workers, this is a unique opportunity for us to properly evaluate the impact of transit on jobs outcomes through a randomized controlled trial. More information on this exciting project to come!
|
|
Send Us Your Transit News!
Have a story or transit information you’d like to share with the public? Submit it to us at DOT_TAP@seattle.gov to have it featured in our next TAP newsletter! Submissions must be emailed by the last Wednesday of the month to be featured in the next newsletter and must not exceed 300 words, though you may include links, attachments, and images.
|
|
|
|
