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What are ORCA Business programs?

ORCA Business programs provide your employees access to Seattle’s growing public transit system. Our ORCA Business service offers flexible solutions for businesses of all sizes within any industry. Learn more about each of these options below and how they can benefit you and your employees. There are two types of programs: 

Ask us about the ORCA Business Incentive!

Businesses new to ORCA may qualify for 50% off their first ORCA Business program. Contact us now to find out if you qualify!

Connect with a specialist.

Talk to Tara Peters
Program Manager
Talk to Lily Sadataki
Education and Outreach Specialist

Program Options

We offer free consultations to help businesses develop customized ORCA solutions. 

 

Did you know… You can save your business more money with Pre-Tax?

Combine ORCA with Pre-Tax to save your business and employees even more! Find out how in our pre-tax commuter benefits guide, or by contacting info@commuteseattle.com for a free walk-through.

 

Option 1: ORCA Business Passport

Overview: Comprehensive. All inclusive. Gets your employees where they need to go.

ORCA Business Passport is a cost-effective, comprehensive, annual transportation pass program for employers with 5+ employees. Custom contracts are available to businesses with 500+ employees.

Learn more about the ORCA Business Incentive Program to see if you qualify to save on any ORCA for Business program.

Program Coverage
  • Unlimited rides on all regular bus services on Community Transit, Everett Transit, Kitsap Transit, King County Metro Transit, Pierce Transit and Sound Transit
  • Unlimited rides on regular Sound Transit Link light rail service
  • Unlimited rides on Sounder commuter rail
  • Unlimited rides on the Seattle Center Monorail
  • 100% vanpool fare subsidy on Community Transit, Kitsap Transit, Metro Transit, and Pierce Transit vanpool vans
  • 100% vanshare fare subsidy on Metro Transit vanshare vans
  • Unlimited rides on Seattle Streetcar, King County Water Taxi, and Kitsap Foot and Fast Ferries
  • Emergency guaranteed ride home service (for trips meeting program criteria)
Benefits for Employers
  • The most transit service at the lowest cost
  • Reducing administrative costs – the Passport annual program does not require monthly online administration or knowledge of what type of passes employees need
  • Offering employees an annual comprehensive transportation pass with a single card
  • Managing employee cards online
  • Combine with pre-tax and save on FICA taxes
  • Attract and retain employees with competitive transit benefits
  • Employers can open more parking for customers and reduce congestion near the workplace
  • Helps the business become more environmentally conscious
  • Incentivize employees to choose sustainable commuting options
  • Provide equitable transportation benefits to all employees   
Benefits for Employees
  • Save money on their commuting costs
  • Avoid car traffic and are able to read, rest, or check emails during the commute
  • Employees who sustainably commute to work may be healthier and less stressed
  • Helps contribute to being environmentally conscious
  • Have the flexibility of choosing how to commute to work
  • Ability to use Trailhead Direct to access hiking destinations along I-90
Rules & Eligibility
  • ORCA Business Passport is only available to individuals through their employer
  • The program requires that a pass be purchased for every benefits-eligible employee at the worksite
  • Companies can share up to 50% of the price of the pass with employees
  • Participating companies must have a minimum of 5 employees depending on the location of the company worksite
Pricing
  • For a cost estimate visit King County Metro’s Passport Zone Cost Estimator
  • ORCA Business Passport prices offer annual prices per pass. The price varies depending on the location of the company’s worksite
  • Passport prices are adjusted every 6 months to reflect fare changes amongst the six participating transit agencies
  • Companies that participate in the ORCA Passport program typically demonstrate increased ridership after the first year. Renewal pricing for the area is adjusted to account for this increase.
  • New ORCA Business Passport customers are subject to an initial one-time $3 per pass card fee
  • New ORCA Business Passport customers are eligible for a first-year incentive

Option 2: ORCA Business Choice

Overview: Highly flexible. You choose what is covered. Customized to individual commuting needs.

The most flexible option allowing employers to choose who receives an ORCA card and what transit services are covered based on the individual employee’s commuting needs. ORCA Choice requires the employer to manage and maintain ORCA accounts on a monthly basis by adding funds to the card. This program offers multiple products on a single ORCA card, including monthly passes or E-purse, short for electronic purse which is used like cash to pay for transit fares.

Choice is a great option for small businesses or employers that use multimodal commutes beyond transit.

Optional Program Coverage
  • Monthly transit passes at retail prices for bus, train, water taxi or Metro vanpool
  • Access to all regular bus services on Community Transit, Everett Transit, Kitsap Transit, King County Metro Transit, Pierce Transit and Sound Transit
  • Access to regular Sound Transit Link light rail service
  • Access to Sounder commuter rail
  • Access to Washington State Ferries* 
  • Access to Seattle Center Monorail
  • E-purse option–Employees use stored value to pay for travel on a per-trip basis or convert to monthly pass

*Additional packages must be purchased

Benefits for Employers
  • Incentivize employees to choose sustainable commuting options
  • Purchase ORCA cards and load or reload value monthly, or as needed, online
  • Load multiple ORCA products such as a ferry pass or epurse onto a single ORCA card
  • Provide cards only to those employees using transit services
  • Provide a subsidy and/or Pre-Tax benefit to employees
  • Flexibility to change products from month to month
  • Conveniently pre-pay online 
  • Replace lost or stolen cards to transfer products to new cards using online replacement transactions
  • Combine with pre-tax and save on FICA taxes
  • Attract and retain employees with competitive transit benefits  
  • Employers can open more parking for customers and reduce congestion near the workplace
  • Helps business become more environmentally conscious
Benefits for Employees
  • Load bus, train, ferry and Metro vanpool passes and per-trip fares on one card
  • Add funds to cover the cost difference between the employer-sponsored subsidy and the total cost of the desired product or fare
  • Ability to register cards. If a card is lost or stolen, the card can then be replaced with a replacement transaction and the value issued to a new unused card
  • Employees incur lower commuting costs than if they paid out of pocket
  • Employees who use a sustainable commute to work may be healthier and less stressed, potentially saving the company on health insurance claims and sick leave
  • Avoids car traffic and is able to read, rest, or check emails during commute
  • Helps employee contribute to being environmentally conscious

Our Impact

More than 1,000 Puget Sound businesses offer the ultimate transportation benefit: ORCA for Business! ORCA Business programs work for every type and size of business, and across a number of industries.