You will soon be able to use an ORCA card to pay for a ride on the Seattle Center Monorail.
During a meeting on Monday, the ORCA Joint Board approved an agreement with the Seattle Monorail that would allow ORCA cards to be used as fare payment. The projected start date riders will be able to use their ORCA cards on the monorail is September 2019.
Riders will still be able to pay for tickets using cash or debit and credit cards until ORCA cards are accepted.
Once ORCA payments are accepted, fares will increase to $2.75 for regular payers, and $1.50 for youth ages 6-18, but remain $1.25 for seniors 65+ and riders with disabilities, according to the Seattle Transit Blog. The monorail will also honor inter-agency ORCA transfers and passes.
The monorail runs from Seattle Center to Westlake Center and departs about every 10 minutes. Click here for a full schedule.
The Seattle Center Monorail opened about a month before the Seattle World's Fair on March 24, 1962. Alweg Rapid Transit Systems constructed the $3.5 million project as a way to connect the fairgrounds and downtown.