April 22 is Earth Day; celebrate with fare free rides on buses, SHUTTLE (for registered customers) and Runner!

• On Sunday, March 29, Pierce Transit made schedule improvements to many of its bus routes and extended
  its Stream Community Line route into Tacoma’s downtown core.
• Stream Community Line, a partnership with MultiCare, now serves Commerce Street Station.
  • Four new stops have been added to Stream Community Line between Tacoma Dome Station (TDS)
    and Commerce Street Station.
  • At TDS, Stream Community Line passengers travelling northbound towards downtown use Zone D
    and those travelling southbound towards Spanaway use Zone A.
• Route 1, travelling between Tacoma Community College and Spanaway, has 8 northbound and 10
  southbound trips added to its weekday schedule, resulting in 15-minute frequency between 6 a.m. and 7
  p.m.
• Route 3 has 9 northbound and 10 southbound trips added to its weekday schedule with 15-minute frequency between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m.
• Route 11 timetables are adjusted to better align with school bell schedules.

• Having access to transportation makes a big difference in our customers’ lives, and we love hearing about
  that impact directly from you.
• How has the ability to travel easily, comfortably and affordably using Pierce Transit changed your life for the
  better?
• Visit PierceTransit.org/my-transit-story to submit your story. Your story may be selected to appear on our
  website or our social media, and you will be entered into a quarterly prize drawing!
• You can send us a written version, take a photo or make a video.

• ORCA has a new Tap to Pay feature allowing riders to use credit and debit cards, and digital wallets, to pay for transit across the Puget Sound region.
• Riders can now tap their contactless Visa, Mastercard, Discover Network, or American Express credit or debit cards, or cards in digital wallets, using Apple Pay™, Google Pay™, or Samsung Pay™ to ride.
• ORCA cards will still be issued and accepted across the region on buses, trains and ferries.
• Riders cannot receive discounts (Senior, Youth, ORCA LIFT, Disabled) using Tap to Pay. Riders with ORCA cards that receive discounts are encouraged to keep tapping their existing ORCA cards.
• Contactless payments through ORCA are not accepted on:
  • Pierce Transit SHUTTLE
  • Pierce Transit Runner
  • Seattle Monorail
  • Washington State Ferries
  • King County Metro DART, Community Vans, Metro Flex
  • Community Transit DART, Zip Shuttle
  • Everett Transit Paratransit
• If you have both an ORCA card and a credit or debit card in Google Wallet™, the card reader should default to charging your digital ORCA card when tapped. If you wish to use a digital credit or debit card, select that form of payment on your smart device before tapping.

• The Hardship Assistance Response Team (HART) responds to individuals who may be in crisis encountered
  within Pierce Transit’s service area.
• HART consists of a Designated Crisis Responder (DCR) and a co-response from a Public Safety Officer (PSO)
  or Law Enforcement Officer (LEO).
• The DCR offers individuals assistance using existing county resources.
• After HART interacts with an individual, the Pierce County Crisis Team follows up with a care plan.
• Areas covered include Pierce Transit coaches, routes, facilities (including transit centers and Park & Rides),
  bus stops and shelters within Pierce County. The HART program generally operates outside the City of Tacoma, as Tacoma has its own, similar program.
• More information can be found at PierceTransit.org/HART
• Listen to the latest episode of our podcast, South Sound Connected, to learn more about the HART program.

• Youth ages 18 and under ride fare free on public transit throughout our region.
• Regional transit partners, including Pierce Transit, offer free rides to youth.
• Youth ORCA cards are recommended for youth 13 and older. They are available for free at FreeYouthTransitPass.com or at Pierce Transit Customer Service.
• Youth may also show the bus driver their student ID.