Free Youth Transit Pass Instructions

Dear school office manager/team,

Thank you for helping your students benefit from Pierce Transit's Free Youth Transit Pass program! Your school has been provided with Youth ORCA cards to give to students who are interested in riding transit fare-free. Each student is eligible to receive one Youth ORCA card at no cost. This card allows students age 18 and under to ride free on Pierce Transit, King County Metro, Sound Transit, Community Transit, Everett Transit and Kitsap Transit as of Sept. 1, 2022. Students may use the card to ride free on Washington State Ferries as of October 1, 2022.

There is a document to assist in tracking which ORCA card belongs to which student and to generally assist with administrative tasks associated with FYT Pass: FYT Pass Card Tracker - Google Sheets

How to distribute cards to students

Please record the student's first and last name, assigned the Youth ORCA card 8-digit serial number and other info shown on the Tracking sheet (first tab)
Hand the Youth ORCA card to the student along with a Free Youth Transit Pass brochure (these may be supplied by your school district)

Supplies of Youth ORCA cards are limited, so we are asking you provide one card per student.

If a student loses their Youth ORCA card, or it is damaged beyond use:

Call Pierce Transit Customer Service to report lost or damanged card serial number
Instruct the student to visit or call the Pierce Transit Bus Shop, or go to myORCA.com to order a replacement card ($3.00 fee)

Note that the student will need to pay a $3.00 fee for replacement card(s)

If you run out of Youth ORCA cards and need more:

Contact Rachel Holzhaeuser, Community Development Specialist at Pierce Transit
rholzhaeuser@piercetransit.org | (253) 444-2526

To contact Pierce Transit Customer Service/Bus Shop

253.581.8000 Phone hours are Monday to Friday 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
505 E 25th St, Tacoma, WA 98421 Lobby hours are Monday to Friday 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Translation service is available in more than 200 languages, by calling Customer Service and selecting Option 1.

Trip Planner Help

Trip Planner Tips - Entering Locations

To create a trip plan you need to enter both a starting location (origin) and an ending location (destination). For information about stops, schedules, or service at a specific location, you only need to enter one location.

The Trip Planner recognizes most street intersections and addresses as well as many landmarks in Pierce, King, and Snohomish Counties. If what you entered is not immediately recognized, the Trip Planner will offer you a list of options. You can choose one of the options, but if your intended location is not there, select the "Revise Original Entries" link to return to the entry page and change the entries you have already made.

Addresses

You don't need to type in the city along with the address. The Trip Planner shows the possible city names as options if needed. City names are based on zip codes.
You don't need to type in St., Street, Ave., or Avenue, or similar street types. The Trip Planner shows the possible alternatives as options if needed. (Example: type 110 Jones instead of 110 Jones Boulevard.)
You don't need to type in the directional designations for streets, but if a direction name is part of a street name, you should include it. (Example: type 1000 Main instead of 1000 S Main. But type 1000 West Viewmont for 1000 West Viewmont Way W.)
Some streets and addresses are unknown to the Trip Planner. You may need to enter another nearby location, such as an intersection or a landmark.
You should not enter the suite number or apartment number. Just the house number and street name (Example: type in 401 Broadway instead of 401 Broadway Avenue Suite 800).

Intersections

The "&" symbol is the only character used between two street names to show an intersection. (Examples: 1st & B, James & Madison)
You don't need to type in the city. The Trip Planner shows the possible city names as options if needed. City names are based on zip codes.
You don't need to type in St., Street, Ave., or Avenue, or similar street types. The Trip Planner shows the possible alternatives as options if needed. (Example: type Conifer & Jones instead of Conifer Circle & Jones Boulevard.)
You don't need to type in the directional designations for streets, but if a direction name is part of a street name, you should include it. (Example: type 3rd & Main instead of 3rd S & S Main. But type 34th & West Viewmont for 34th W & West Viewmont Way W.)
Some streets are unknown to the Trip Planner. You may need to enter another nearby intersection or a landmark.

Landmarks

Government Sites: Pierce County Health Dept, Pierce Co Sheriffs Office, Tacoma City Hall

Major Commercial Sites: Tacoma Mall, Sheraton Hotel

Transportation Facilities: Sea-Tac Airport, Greyhound Bus Depot

Schools & Colleges: Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma Community College

Sports & Leisure: Cheney Stadium, Pt Defiance Zoo

Medical Facilities: Group Health, Tacoma General Hospital