Frequently Asked Questions For UPASS Riders
What is the ORCA card?
The ORCA (One Regional Card for All) card is a new transit pass that will be used to pay for bus, train, and ferry transit in the Puget sound region. It will unify the fare systems of Sound Transit, King County Metro, Community Transit, Everett Transit, Pierce Transit, Kitsap Transit and the Washington State Ferries.
What does this mean for UW and UPASS riders?
As described by UW Housing and Food Services, the UPASS sticker that riders currently use will be replaced by the ORCA card. Specifically, the RFID microchip used by the ORCA system will be added to new Husky cards so that students, faculty, and staff can continue to use their UW ID as their transit pass. This is scheduled to happen at the end of the 2009-2010 school year, and Transportation Services has informed us that they will provide instructions to permanently disable the RFID microchip.
Should I be concerned about the new ORCA card replacing my UPASS?
Back in 2007, Transportation Services had planned on receiving usage data (including the time and location of every time you used your UPASS) and mining it for information. The plan for this data was not only give them a better idea for how the UPASS is used, but to detect fraud as well. This had serious privacy implications, since UW would be able to track everywhere a student, employee, or faculty member went with his or her UPASS.
However, under new leadership, Transportation Services has dramatically changed their stance. They are no longer interested in receiving individual usage data, and are taking steps to ensure that it is extremely difficult to track an individual using ORCA. Additionally, they are periodically consulting with us to get our feedback and guidance on privacy issues.
You may also be concerned with the RFID chip introduced in the Husky card by the ORCA system. As we have noted elsewhere, the short read range of the chip combined with on-chip encryption makes RFID tracking by a malicious hacker highly unlikely.
Who should I contact with questions / concerns about the ORCA card?
Contact the Transportation Office - UPASS Program (upass@u.washington.edu).