Friday, May 13, 2022

The regional ORCA transit system is moving to a new software platform as of Monday, May 16. This will result in service improvements for U-PASS customers. In order to transition to the new ORCA system, transit fares will not be collected between 3 a.m. Saturday, May 14, and 2:59 a.m. Monday, May 16, on most area transit systems. 

How this affects U-PASS holders

ORCA is the fare payment system for Puget Sound area transit systems. When you use your U-PASS, the smart chip inside your Husky Card interacts with the ORCA system. The new ORCA system is compatible with all previously issued Husky Cards. You do not need to take any action to continue using U-PASS as you have been doing.

U-PASS activation for students: The student U-PASS will continue to activate eight days before the quarter starts (for students registered by the registration deadline). Please see the academic calendar for specific dates.  

U-PASS activation for employees: For employees with a fully-subsidized U-PASS or opt-in U-PASS customers, the U-PASS will activate within 12-24 hours of receiving a Husky Card or purchasing a U-PASS. This activation process previously took 24-48 hours.  

No more 60-day ‘tap to activate’ requirement: New U-PASS customers no longer need to tap their cards within 60 days of receiving it in order to activate their cards.

This effort marks the start of ongoing improvements to the regional ORCA system over the next several years.