UPDATE: OK, OK, it's not technically $5 a month, unless you're like me and lose your card all the time. But: It's still five bucks, and that's still too much to pay for such a spotty service, whether you're paying it once a month, once a lifetime, or once a day. No other transit system I know of makes users pay an extra, non-refundable fee. Think I'm wrong? Please feel free to yell at me in the comments.

Local transit agencies, including King County Metro and Sound Transit, just announced that the ORCA ("One Regional Card for All") card—a flimsy plastic card that can be bought from machines at light rail stations and the downtown transit tunnel—will soon cost transit users $5, on top of the cost of the fare loaded onto the card itself. That means that in addition to spending $2 for a one-way light-rail trip, transit users will have to hang onto their cards or spend $5 every time they get a new transit pass. (Metro, in contrast, doesn't charge extra for its plastic passes).



I'm a huge fan of ORCA—in theory. The idea that riders can use a single card to access every local transit agency is awesome, badly needed, and long overdue. However: The system doesn't work well enough yet to justify charging an extra five bucks for the "privilege" of using plastic instead of cash (particularly given that light rail already costs more than the bus). Moreover, given that riders will no longer be able to use paper transfers between agencies (e.g., Metro buses and light rail trains) starting in January, using ORCA soon won't be optional.

The problems with ORCA go way beyond minor technical glitches.

For example: In two months of riding light rail from my home in Southeast Seattle to my office downtown and back, I've encountered multiple broken ORCA readers (e.g. the one pictured above, which was down for more than a week); ticket vending machines that either featured black screens or informed me, after taking my money, that they had encountered a "problem with production"; card readers on buses that refused to accept my card; and generally useless customer service any time I've tried to get assistance. (When I lost my ORCA card this month, for example, a customer-service rep directed me to the web site, which directed me to the number I had just called, where I was told—after spending half an hour on hold—there was nothing they could do. Thanks, ORCA!)

Moreover, given that the new system will penalize riders who only have cash (no more transfers means you pay full fare again every time you get onto a new bus or train, potentially doubling or quadrupling a round-trip fare), tourists and those without five bucks to spare will be disproportionately impacted by the fee.

Additionally, many users have reported that they purchased ORCA cards online in advance, only to find out that the agency had deactivated their cards because they hadn't used them in 30 days.

I like the fact that Sound Transit et al are forcing everybody onto the same universal system—really, I do. One regional system is, in theory, far more sensible and efficient than the multitude of different agency fares, passes, and transfers that currently exist. However, it's insulting to suggest that riders who are already paying higher fares should have to pay extra surcharge for the privilege of using a service that hasn't proven its worth.