SEATTLE — A reminder if you ride the bus — King County Metro will start enforcing fares a week from today!
That means after March 31, fare enforcers will be on buses, making sure you’ve paid for a ticket to ride.
When asked what might be different moving forward, King County Metro’s Chief Safety Officer Rebecca Frankhouser, said, “Not everyone has had the same experience with uniformed presence, so we met with our community groups and redesigned our fare enforcement uniforms so that while they still identify that they’re fare enforcement officers, it’s a kinder, gentler uniform.”
Metro’s adult fare is currently $2.75. Beginning March 31, Fare Enforcement Officers will accept proof of payment in the form of:
• a recently tapped ORCA fare card
• an activated Transit GO Ticket on their phone
• a tapped ORCA card in Google Wallet
• a transfer slip issued to someone who paid cash at the farebox
Metro paused fare enforcement in 2020, which they say was to “reassess and reimagine safety, security, and fare enforcement to make the transit system more equitable and welcoming.”
If riders board the bus without paying the fare, Metro tells us their first step will be to educate them about the fares. Riders will face fines after two written warnings.
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