No more free rides at University of Washington
12 October, 2009
category: Contactless, Education, Transit
The launch of the ORCA (One Regional Card for All) transit system in Seattle earlier this year will also eventually eliminate the free rides that some University of Washington students had enjoyed. In the past, they had a U-PASS sticker, which they obtained from the university and which enabled them to ride buses to and from campus.
This sometimes let students give their IDs to others for use on the transit system. As one student explained: “Last year, I lost my Husky Card and paid the $30 for the new card and stickers and then I found my old one, so I let my friends use it.”
Once the university’s campus card is tied to the ORCA system, this won’t be allowed as the card can be deactivated if lost. New Husky cards, with the same contactless technology as the ORCA card, will be issued by the end of the spring quarter next year.
Read more here.