Orca Lift is a boost for people who depend on public transportation | OUR TURN

By Larry Phillips, Larry Gossett and Joe McDermott
King County Councilmembers

King County’s new $1.50 low income transit fare, Orca Lift, went into effect on March 1. Orca lift gives residents a cheaper alternative to get to school, work, health appointments and key services they need.

This valuable program will help many residents in our region who are struggling to make ends meet. Some in King County are starting to experience economic recovery from the Great Recession, but many in our region still struggle with rising housing and transportation costs.

For too many riders, high transportation costs present a stark option: deciding between having enough money to ride the bus to get to employment or services and putting food on the table. They are riders that are still feeling the full brunt of the economic downturn; the unemployed and those working multiple jobs to stay above water. Some people who, because they cannot afford to live near their jobs, are taking two or three buses to get to work.

In 2013, as we braced for the fifth in a series of proposed fare increases since 2008, the Council resolved to find some relief for those who depend on affordable public transportation. The opportunity to get to school, employment and services affordably provides pathways for residents to thrive.

The County is committed to creating equity and building social justice in order to make progress in the elimination of the root cause of those inequities. We understand that access to transportation is a critical “determinant of equity”, and that in developing Orca Lift we were establishing a policy that would carry forward into the future, regardless of economic ups and downs.

We asked a panel of representatives from a wide range of human service agencies, transit advocacy groups, and government agencies to explore the options available to the County. Their recommendation was to expand the One Regional Card for All (Orca) program to include bus riders who meet specific financial guidelines – such as having an income 200 percent or less of the federal poverty level as established by the U.S. Health and Human Services Department.

Last February, the County Council unanimously approved the $1.50 fare, which will be available to adults who meet income and other requirements. Eligible riders may enroll at specific social service agencies or through Public Health-Seattle & King County.

Orca Lift is a fare that acknowledges the need for providing transit access and mobility for those who would see the bus doors close on them without it.

Councilmembers Larry Phillips, Larry Gossett and Joe McDermott lead the King County Council in the development of the low-income fare program that has become Orca Lift.