Tap-to-pay soft launches on RapidRide G

ORCA readers along the RapidRide G line now accept any tap payment (info.myorca.com).

A long-awaited ORCA feature is finally available to (some) transit riders: Open Payments. Riders of the RapidRide G line are now able to use common contactless payment methods such as tap-enabled credit cards and digital wallets on smartphones to pay fare at ORCA readers installed along the line. The feature has been in the works for ORCA for years, with a full rollout expected this spring after this soft launch".

As of today, riders are able to pay fare (full-price adult fares only) by tapping their credit or debit cards, or digital devices like phones and watches. The system will accept taps from the most common tap-enabled bank cards or smart devices, including iPhones. Unfortunately, ORCA cardholders are still unable to load their ORCA card into digital wallets on iPhones.

During the soft launch, riders who tap to pay with a physical or digital bank card will not get free transfers between RapidRide G and other transit services, but can request a paper transfer to board other Metro routes. Once tap-to-pay expands across Metro and to other transit services, transfers will be accepted between these systems.

However, there are other limitations which are not expected to change in the near future: each rider must use their own payment method, either a physical bank card or digital wallet. Riders cannot pay for multiple riders using a single card or device. Users are also warned to avoid tapping with their entire wallet as there may be issues if there are multiple tap-enabled cards (such as a bank card and an ORCA card) stacked in the wallet.

When fare inspectors check for payment, riders who tapped to pay will be required to share the last four digits of the payment card they used to pay fare (and sometimes the first six digits as well).

ORCA's summary of what to expect when fare inspectors ask for proof of payment (info.myorca.com)

Users will be able to review their history of fares paid via tap-to-pay on a new website: https://www.myorca.com/contactless-history. Fare payments are searchable by the first 6 and last 4 digits of the card used to pay, or with a bank statement code. If a tap-to-pay method is declined, the card will not be able to used to pay fare again until the issue is resolved. After the problem is corrected, the card will be charged for the previously-unpaid fare when it is used to pay fare again, resulting in two charges.