Sound Transit to start charging fares for Tacoma light-rail service

Sound Transit's board yesterday approved a $1 fare for Tacoma Link light-rail service starting in September 2014. The Tacoma Link is the only free transit service in the Tacoma, Wash., region.

The fare, which will help fund the system's operation, will increase to $1.50 in September 2016. A board policy allows fare-free service where the cost of collecting fares exceeds potential revenue, but the policy no longer applies to Tacoma Link since annual ridership reached 1 million riders over the past decade, Sound Transit officials said in a press release.

Fares for youth, seniors and riders with disabilities will be less. Also, Sound Transit plans to make discounted tickets and passes available to human services agencies in Pierce County, Wash.

Riders can pay their fare by tapping their  "ORCA" fare card on reader machines at station platforms or by purchasing a pass or ticket at vending machines.