G Line ‘tap to pay’ test begins on route to full Seattle ORCA rollout

(Image: ORCA)

“Tap to Pay” has rolled out on the G Line along E Madison in a soft launch upgrade to ORCA transit payment system.

You can learn more about the “soft launch” of the system here.

CHS reported on the upgrade last week as Seattle’s transportation system gears up for the opening of the new 2 Line and Judkins Park Station expansion of Sound Transit’s light rail in March.

The test of new “tap to pay” capabilities that “will let riders across the Seattle region use Visa, Mastercard, Discover, or American Express cards, as well as mobile wallets such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay,” is being rolled out with the test that began Monday on G Line buses.

If everything goes well, the full ORCA system will be mostly tap capable by the end of February. Typical two-hour transfer windows won’t be available until the upgrade rolls out systemwide.

The new payment capability means fare inspectors might ask for the last four digits of your card account. “The last 4 digits of a credit card number are not unique to your card and allow fare inspectors to review transaction history without having access to sensitive information,” ORCA says about the inquiries.

“Your card will never be scanned and you should never hand your card to fare inspection staff,” the ORCA folks say.

The upgrade will bring ORCA closer to transit payment systems in other major systems and is hoped to make things much easier for riders and, especially, tourists as Seattle prepares for thousands of visitors for this summer’s FIFA World Cup matches held in the city.

Learn more at info.myorca.com/g-line.

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