Real Orcas need a safe environment.
So do ORCA cards, the regional transit pass now available to students at Shoreline Community College.
The price of the prepaid cards are subsidized through a program funded by a student fee called the Sustainable Commuting Options Fee (SCOF). Program changes made this spring by student government are intended to help make the program easier to use and available to more students.
With freedom, however, comes responsibility.
The new ORCA card program is simple: For $125, a registered student taking two or more credits in a quarter can buy a $200 ORCA ePurse card. Done. The student walks away with an ORCA card that is immediately usable for as long as there is still money on it. The $75 difference is covered by a subsidy funded by the SCOF fee.
An ORCA card is the equivalent of having cash that can be used on all Community Transit, Everett Transit, King County Metro Transit, Kitsap Transit, Pierce Transit, Sound Transit and Washington State Ferries.
And that’s where the responsibility thing comes in.
The very first thing a card buyer should do is go online at www.orcacard.com and register the card. The SCOF fee subsidizes the initial cost, but once it is purchased, the college is out of the picture. The card is a relationship between the ORCA program, which is administered by King County Metro, and the student.
That means losing a card is like losing cash. Registering the card allows the owner to use the ORCA-process to get a replacement card. The college does not do refunds. Students under 19 who register their cards may qualify for the youth rate, making the $200 go a little farther.
Under the new program, SCOF-subsidized ORCA ePurse cards are available for purchase three business days before the start of each quarter. For example, Summer Quarter 2015 starts June 22 so cards will be available for sale starting June 17. Sales of subsidized cards will stop each quarter on the last to drop a class and receive a “W” grade. For summer quarter 2015, that’s July 22. Information about that date for other quarters is available at www.shoreline.edu/calendars.
Regardless of when it is sold, the card and any funds on it don’t expire.
If a student doesn’t use all of the $200 on the card, it is still available to use between quarters, the following quarter … anytime. If a student does use the full value, they may go online to add additional funds. Students may purchase one card per quarter.
For more information about how ORCA cards work, go to www.orcacard.com
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