ORCA Regional Reduced Fare Permit (RRFP), Senior
ORCA (King County Metro, Sound Transit, Community Transit, Pierce Transit, Everett Transit, Kitsap Transit, Washington State Ferries, Seattle Streetcar)
The Regional Reduced Fare Permit (RRFP) is the multi-agency Puget Sound reduced-fare program for riders 65 and older, riders with disabilities, and Medicare card holders. The Senior RRFP comes as an ORCA card and gives reduced fares on participating transit agencies. On agencies that don't offer a reduced fare, the card still works but at full fare. The first ORCA Senior RRFP is free. Replacement cards are $3.00. Fare examples for Senior RRFP holders: $1.00 single rides on Metro/RapidRide/DART, ST Link/Sounder/Express, Tacoma Link, Community Transit Bus, and Pierce Transit Local. $0.50 on Everett Transit Local. $1.75 on Metro Access (ADA paratransit). $2.50 on the West Seattle Water Taxi. $3.00 on the Vashon Water Taxi. Day Pass options are $2.00 on most agencies (some routes require adding money from E-Purse if the trip costs more than $1.75).
Who qualifies
What it covers
Cost
How to apply
How to apply
Apply at myORCA
If you are 65 or older you qualify on age alone. There is no income question at any point, and you need just one document showing your date of birth.
- myORCA, for applicants 65 and older Open
- Mail the application with a copy of one age document
- Metro Pass Sales Office or a pop-up event
- King County Metro Customer Information 206-553-3000
- Reduced Fare Portal, for applicants under 65 with a qualifying disability Open
Documents to gather
- One document showing your date of birth
- Proof of a qualifying condition, plus a government-issued photo ID
Applying online, the card arrives by mail within 7 to 10 days. Applying in person, you get it the same day. No processing time is published for mailed applications.
Worth knowing
The permit and the ORCA card are one object, not two. You will not receive a paper permit to carry alongside a card. If you still hold an old paper senior permit you can trade it in for an ORCA version at no charge.
The first permit is free. A replacement costs $3.
There is no income test. Being 65 or older qualifies you on its own, which is the main difference from ORCA LIFT.
Most trips cost $1 with the permit, including Sound Transit light rail, Sounder, and express buses, where the usual distance-based pricing does not apply to you. The exceptions matter: Tacoma Link is free, Everett Transit local service is $0.50, and the Water Taxi is $2.50 to West Seattle or $3.00 to Vashon rather than $1.
The $36 monthly pass does not buy unlimited regional travel. It covers your fare on King County Metro buses and puts $1 toward a trip on any other participating agency. If that agency charges more, you pay the difference. It does not apply to Washington State Ferries at all.
Four agencies do not take ORCA at all: Intercity Transit, Jefferson Transit, Skagit Transit, and Mason Transit. On those, show the physical card to the driver and pay cash. Tapping will not work.
The card still works on agencies that offer no reduced fare, but you pay full price there. Tapping is not proof of a discount.
If you set up Autoload, use the card at least once within 60 days or Autoload never activates. People who set it up and then do not ride find it inert when they need it.
Losing the card is not losing your money. A replacement blocks the old card, and your passes, balance, and Autoload settings all move to the new one. Report it rather than writing off the balance.
Washington State Ferries does not take part at all. The permit gets you no ferry discount, and ferries are excluded from both the day pass and the monthly pass credit.
See your next step, the documents you will need, and how to apply. Save it to your account to track your progress.
Where to go from here
VA Aid and Attendance and Housebound benefits
$2,424 to $2,874/moVA Aid and Attendance (A&A) and Housebound benefits are monthly payments added to a qualifying veteran's or survivor's VA pension. You cannot get both at the same time. Aid and Attendance is for those who need another person's help with daily activities, are bedridden, are in a nursing home because of a disability, or have severely limited eyesight. Housebound is for those who spend most of their time at home because of a permanent disability.
Last checked Jun 1, 2026
VA Survivors Pension
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Last checked Jun 1, 2026
Elderly Simplified Application Project (ESAP)
$50 to $546/moESAP is a simpler way to get Basic Food for households where every member is 60 or older or an adult with a disability and no one has earned income. It is not a separate benefit. Your Basic Food amount is the same, but two things change. First, you are approved for 36 months instead of 12. Second, you do not have to do a renewal interview or the usual mid-period check-ins during that time. ESAP is decided only when you first apply and when you renew. A household already on Basic Food cannot switch into ESAP in the middle of a certification period. Reporting is lighter too: you only have to report if your household income goes over 130% of the federal poverty level or if you have large gambling or lottery winnings. If your household stops qualifying for ESAP during the period, for example a member who is not elderly or disabled moves in, or someone starts earning wages, you keep Basic Food for the rest of the 36 months but go back to the regular check-ins. The state's benefit system sets the ESAP status automatically.
Last checked Jun 17, 2026
Medicare Part D Extra Help (Low-Income Subsidy)
$5,700/yrExtra Help, also called the Part D Low-Income Subsidy, lowers what a Medicare beneficiary pays for prescription drug coverage. It can cover the Part D premium, the deductible, and the per-prescription copays, and it removes the Part D late-enrollment penalty and opens a special enrollment window to change plans. Recent federal changes folded the old partial subsidy into the full subsidy, so most people who qualify now receive the full benefit. People already enrolled in Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income, or a Medicare Savings Program are deemed automatically eligible and do not need to file a separate Extra Help application.
Last checked Jun 1, 2026
Not sure this one fits your situation? Your local Area Agency on Aging can check what you qualify for and point you to the right programs, for free. No one will sell your information, and no one will cold-call you.
Source info.myorca.com/using-orca/ways-to-save/seniors/
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