Key Takeaways:
- You can use your ORCA card to ride the Seattle Center Monorail.
- The Monorail charges its own fare every time you tap, currently $4.00 one way for adults, separate from your other transit rides.
- Each rider taps their own ORCA card to board.
- If you’d rather not use an ORCA card, Tap to Pay is available at select faregates at both stations for $4.00 one way.
Riding Is Easy. Using Your ORCA Just Takes a Little Know-How
The Seattle Center Monorail is a simple transit option: board, ride, and get to the next station in 2 minutes. You can pay in a few ways, and you can use your ORCA card to pay your fare and ride, but it works a little differently on the Monorail. You’ve probably tapped your card a hundred times on the King County Metro or Community Transit buses or Link Light Rail without thinking twice, and once you know how the Seattle Monorail handles it, tapping here becomes just as automatic.
How You’ll Use Your ORCA Card
The good news is you get to skip the ticket line entirely. Look for a faregate with a yellow ORCA reader, tap your card, and walk through once it opens. Like a bus, you only tap when you board, never when you get off, so resist the urge to tap again on your way out.
How Your ORCA Card Fare Works on the Seattle Monorail
ORCA cards work a little differently on the Monorail than they do almost everywhere else in the region’s transit system. Here’s what’s actually happening every time you tap.
| How you’re paying | What the Monorail charges | Worth knowing |
| ORCA E-purse (the cash balance on your card) or an employer-provided Business Passport | $4.00 adult, every tap | Full fare even if you just got off a bus or Link |
| Monthly PugetPass | $4.00 total | Most passes cover $3; the difference comes from your E-purse |
| Regional Day Pass | $4.00 total | Same top-up as above |
| Youth ORCA card (ages 6 to 18) | Free | The rider still needs to tap |
| Regional Reduced Fare Permit (RRFP) ORCA card | $2.00 | Seniors 65+, ORCA LIFT, riders with disabilities |
| Tap to Pay | $4.00, one way | Adult fare only, at select faregates |
Full Fare, Every Time
Whatever’s loaded on your ORCA card, a monthly PugetPass, a Regional Day Pass, or just cash value in your E-purse (the cash balance on your card), the Monorail charges its own fare, currently $4.00 one-way, every time you tap. It’s simplest to think of the Monorail as its own separate leg of the trip, so each tap starts fresh.
Day Passes Need a Top-Up
Got a Regional Day Pass or a monthly PugetPass? Good news, it’s welcome here. Most of those passes cover fares up to $3, and the Monorail’s fare is $4, so the difference comes out of your E-purse automatically. It’s a good idea to keep a little balance loaded on the card. If there isn’t enough to cover the difference, your balance can go negative, but once it reaches -$2.75, the card is blocked until you reload it, just like on other regional transit systems. If you’re short at the station, Tap to Pay is the fastest fix. More on that below.
Youth ORCA Cards Ride Free
Yep, it’s true! Kids ages 6 to 18 with a valid Youth ORCA card tap through for free. Just make sure the rider has an actual card to tap; claiming an age alone won’t open the faregate.
One Card, One Rider, Even Youth Riders
Each person riding needs their own ORCA card to tap through, even if you’re traveling together. It’s not a Monorail-only rule; it’s how ORCA works on every bus, train, and ferry in the region. That includes youth riders: a Youth ORCA card taps for $0, but the tap itself isn’t optional. The faregate needs it to open, and the tap also counts free youth rides, which helps keep the program going.
If You Have an ORCA Card Issue
If something looks off with your card or balance, King County Metro’s Customer Service is the right place to go. They handle all ORCA issues regionwide at 206-553-3000.
Short on Funds? Try Tap to Pay
Your ORCA card isn’t the only way to skip the ticket line. Both stations now have Tap to Pay at select faregates: tap your card and walk through. It’s handy if you don’t have an ORCA card, don’t want to use it, or your balance is too low to cover the fare, and you don’t want to backtrack to a ticket vending machine.
Two things to know. Tap to Pay also charges the full adult fare of $4.00, one way, so there are no youth or reduced fares at those gates, and you’ll tap again for your ride back. And because we’re still rolling this out, it isn’t on every faregate yet, so look for the gates marked for Tap to Pay. If you need a reduced fare, use a ticket vending machine or your ORCA card.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does ORCA give me a free transfer onto the Monorail?
No. The Monorail charges its own fare, so you’ll pay full fare when you tap, regardless of how you arrived downtown.
Do I tap my ORCA card when I get off the Monorail?
No. Just once, when you board, the same as getting on a bus.
Can I tap one ORCA card twice to pay for two people?
No. Each rider needs their own card, on the Seattle Monorail and everywhere else in the system.
Can I pay by card at the faregate instead of using ORCA?
At select faregates, yes. Both stations are rolling out Tap to Pay, so look for a gate that’s marked for it. Not every gate has it yet, so if the one you’re at doesn’t, you can tap an ORCA card, or buy a ticket online or at a ticket vending machine.
Who do I contact if I have an ORCA card problem?
King County Metro’s Customer Service, at 206-553-3000, handles all ORCA issues regionwide.
Now Tap And Be On Your Way
The Seattle Center Monorail is still one of the fastest ways to get from Downtown Seattle to Seattle Center. Plus, it’s an easy route, and now that you know exactly what happens the moment you tap your ORCA card, all riders can board the train without hassle and be on their way.
Ready to ride? If you’re brand new to the Monorail or if it’s been a while, check out our First Timer’s Guide to Riding the Seattle Center Monorail for all the details that make riding a breeze.
