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Clipper
The Clipper logo. Two ships, each composed of three rounded blue triangles pointing upwards atop one blue triangle pointing downwards. The ship on the right is twice as large as the ship on the left. At the right is the word "Clipper" in all capital letters.
Clipper logo
Other names
  • 路路通 (Chinese)
LocationSan Francisco Bay Area
LaunchedJune 16, 2010
Technology
OperatorCubic Transportation Systems
ManagerMetropolitan Transportation Commission
CurrencyUnited States dollar ($300 maximum load)
Credit expiryNone
Auto rechargeYes
Validity
Retailed
Variants
  • Youth Clipper card[1]
  • Senior Clipper card[1]
  • RTC Clipper card[2]
  • Limited-use Muni ticket[3]
  • Limited-use Golden Gate Ferry ticket[3]
Websitewww.clippercard.com Edit this at Wikidata

The Clipper card is a reloadable contactless smart card used for automated fare collection in the San Francisco Bay Area. First introduced as TransLink in 2002 by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) as a pilot program, it was rebranded in its current form on June 16, 2010.[4] Like other transit smart cards such as the Oyster card, the Clipper card is a credit card-sized stored-value card capable of holding both cash value and transit passes for the participating transit agencies.[5] In addition to the traditional plastic card, Clipper is available as a virtual card in Google Wallet and Apple Wallet.[6][7][8][9] Clipper is accepted by nearly all public transit services in the Bay Area, including but not limited to Muni, BART, Caltrain, AC Transit, SamTrans, Golden Gate Transit, Golden Gate Ferry, San Francisco Bay Ferry, and VTA.[10]

History

[edit]
The former TransLink card, issued prior to June 2010

In 1993, Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) and County Connection launched a pilot program named Translink (not to be confused with other agencies with that name) that allowed the use of a single fare card between the two systems.[11] The card, which used magnetic stripe technology, was envisioned to one day include all Bay Area transit agencies. However, because of technical problems, the program was abandoned two years later.[11]

Translink had a projected capital cost of $4 million when undertaken in 1993.[11] In its current form, first as TransLink and later as Clipper, implementation was expected to cost $30 million.[12] Cost estimates have since increased; in 2008, the projected 25-year capital and operations costs were estimated at $338 million.[12]

Implementation took more than a decade. In 1998, MTC envisioned full availability of TransLink by 2001.[13] However, it was fully operational for only five transit agencies by 2009;[14] only 7 agencies by January 2012,[15] 8 in January 2013,[16] 13 by March 2015,[17] finally reaching 20 agencies by March 2016.[18] As of October 2022, the card can be used on 24 agencies,[19] unlocking bike shares, and validating BART parking.

TransLink was developed by Australian-based ERG Group and Motorola under the ERG-Motorola alliance in April 1999. However, upon the launch of Clipper, Cubic Transportation Systems took over administration of distribution, customer service, and financial settlement of the program.[20]

The Clipper card

On June 16, 2010, MTC changed the TransLink name to Clipper, an homage to the clipper ships of the 19th century, the fastest way to travel from the East Coast to San Francisco,[21] and eliminated the contact interface which had been used to load funds onto the cards at TransLink machines.

In October 2010, the MTC selected 路路通 (Pinyin: Lùlùtōng, the "Go Everywhere Card", lit. "every transit route/line pass") as the official Chinese name for Clipper.[22][23] In Spanish it is known as "tarjeta Clipper".[24]

In 2014, the MTC started an initiative to design the next generation version of the Clipper system, nicknamed "C2" or "Clipper 2.0".[25][26] The contract with Cubic for the existing Clipper system expired in 2019, and the system architecture dates from the 1990s. These factors led the MTC to start developing a next generation system planned to begin operation in 2021.[27] The new system was specified to include a mobile app as well as integration with digital wallets.[27] The upgrade was planned to be funded in part by $50 million from Regional Measure 3, a bridge toll increase approved in June 2018, but the funds from the measure were on hold due to a lawsuit until 2023.[28][29][30]

In December 2020, BART announced that it had converted all of its ticket machines to Clipper-only, discontinuing the sale of paper magstripe tickets that had been used since the system's inception in the 1970s.[31] Existing paper tickets remain valid and add-fare machines inside the paid area of each station can be used to add fare to paper tickets if they have insufficient fare remaining to exit at the station in question.[31]

On April 15, 2021, Clipper became available in Apple Wallet, and the Clipper mobile app for iOS was released.[32] Integration with Google Pay and an Android app were released on May 19, 2021.[33]

In March 2022, Clipper announced that its older card readers were to be replaced soon, and that the new readers would not be backwards-compatible with TransLink cards.[34]

As part of efforts to integrate the fare systems of Bay Area transit agencies, the Clipper Bay Pass pilot program was announced in August 2022. The Bay Pass provides free unlimited rides on Clipper-enabled transit systems to a subset of students at participating educational institutions.[35] The program is planned to expand to other institutions, such as businesses and non-profits, in 2023.[36]

Usage

[edit]
A Clipper card being used to enter a BART faregate

Cost of card

[edit]

Obtaining a card was free from introduction in June 2010 to encourage users to adopt the card, until September 1, 2012, when new adult cards began to cost $3.[37] This charge covers the cost (approximately $2) to manufacture each card, helps cover operating expenses,[38] and reduces the incentive to throw away the card if the value goes negative when fare is calculated on exit.[39] The $3 fee is waived if the card is registered for Autoload at the time of purchase (in which case it cannot go negative).[40] There is no fee to transfer plastic Clipper cards to mobile wallets.[6][7] The $3 fee for new virtual cards in mobile wallets was waived for the first six months following launch[41] but came into effect on October 15, 2021.[42] The fee was temporarily waived again beginning in March 2022 due to supply chain issues reducing the availability of plastic cards.[43] As of 2024, there is still no fee for Clipper cards on phones.[44]

Adding money and transit passes

[edit]
A Clipper card vending machine, used to buy new cards and load transit value and passes, at Salesforce Transit Center.

Passengers can add money and transit passes to their Clipper cards in person ("at participating retailers, participating transit agencies' ticket vending machines and ticket offices, Clipper Customer Service Centers, and Clipper Add Value Machines") at work, automatically, online, or using the Clipper mobile app. While money and passes added in person are available to use immediately, doing the same by telephone, online, or using the mobile app may take 3–5 days to register on a physical Clipper card.[45][46] Cash value and passes added online or via the mobile app to virtual Clipper cards in Google Pay or Apple Wallet are available for immediate use, except for BART High-Value Discount tickets; these are available by the following day.[6][47]

Clipper START: reduced regional fares

[edit]

Since July 2020, the MTC has offered a pilot program called Clipper START that provides a regional reduced fare program with subsidized fares for low-income individuals in the Bay Area.[48] The program originally included four agencies at a variety of discount levels, but as of 2024 currently provides a consistent 50% fare discount on 22 agencies.[49] The program is eligible to residents of the Bay Area who are 19-64 years old, do not have an RTC Clipper card, and who are at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. The users of the program are provided a customized, physical Clipper card that applies the fare discount automatically when used at fare readers. As a pilot program, the MTC has committed to run the discount through June 30, 2025.[50] As of February 2024, the program had about 18,000 active users.[50]

Transit services

[edit]

Clipper is currently accepted on 24 transit services, primarily those connecting locations within the nine-county Bay Area:[10]

Some regional transit agencies which connect the Bay Area to more distant locations have not joined Clipper, including ACE and Rio Vista Delta Breeze. Clipper also is not accepted on Amtrak California's Capitol Corridor or San Joaquins trains, despite these serving the Bay Area.[10]

The fare rules for each participating transit service are set by the agency operating the service, not by Clipper. Each service has differing rules that approximate the fare collection rules used by that service prior to Clipper adoption, and are adapted to the needs of that service. For example, Golden Gate Transit uses a zone-based fare system, so it requires passengers to tag on when boarding and tag off when alighting;[51] in contrast, San Francisco's Muni has a flat fare structure so it only requires that passengers tag on when boarding.[52]

Other uses

[edit]

Clipper cards are accepted by Bay Wheels, the Bay Area's bikeshare system, as well as some electronic bicycle lockers operated by BikeLink. For each of these systems, the Clipper card is used not for payment but only as a key; users must have a credit or debit card linked to their Bay Wheels or BikeLink account, and usage fees are charged to this linked payment card, not deducted from the Clipper card's stored value.[53][54] These systems are not compatible with mobile wallets such as Google Pay or Apple Pay; only physical Clipper cards may be used.[5]

Beginning in 2013, a few parking garages in the Bay Area accepted Clipper for payment as part of a pilot program. Funds used for parking were kept separate from those used for transit.[55][56] This program was discontinued effective September 1, 2017.

Technology

[edit]
Updated Clipper Card reader alongside legacy reader at Lawrence station, 2022

Clipper cards contain an NXP Semiconductors MIFARE DESFire (MF3ICD40) or MIFARE DESFire EV1 (MF3ICD41) integrated circuit inside the card.[57] The card operates on the 13.56 MHz range,[57] putting it into the Near-Field Communication category. Because the card uses NFC technology, any NFC-enabled device can read the serial number, travel history, and current balance on the card.[58][59]

Because Clipper operates in multiple geographical areas with sporadic or non-existent internet access, the fare collection and verification technology needs to operate without any networking. To accomplish this, the Clipper card memory keeps track of balance on the card, fares paid, and trip history. This also means if funds are added to the Clipper account via the internet, funds will not show up on the Clipper card until it has been tagged at an internet-enabled (or recently synchronized) Clipper payment terminal.[47] Buses and other vehicles without internet access will have to return to a service station in order to synchronize with Clipper's servers.[47] During synchronization, the payment collection device will upload to the server data about any fares collected, and will download information about new funds and passes added online or over the phone. Riders who tag their card at a recently synchronized payment collection device will have their card updated to reflect their true account balance.[47]

The waiting period between synchronizations may cause some cards to report lower funds than are actually on the corresponding Clipper account.[60]

Mobile wallets

[edit]

On April 15, 2021, the Clipper mobile app for iOS was released, and Clipper became available in Apple Wallet, joining other transit cards such as Suica, Pasmo, and TAP.[61][32] Supported devices include iPhone 8 or later and Apple Watch Series 3 or later.[62] Customers can create new virtual Clipper cards or transfer their existing plastic Clipper cards to Apple Wallet by using their iPhone's built-in NFC reader.[32]

On May 19, 2021, the Clipper mobile app was released for Android, and Clipper became available in Google Pay.[33] Phones must have an NFC chip and be running Android 5.0 (Lollipop) or later to be used for mobile payment.[7]

Physical Clipper cards transferred to mobile wallets can no longer be reloaded or used to pay for fares, but will continue to work as keys to unlock Bay Wheels bikes and BikeLink bike lockers (see "§ Other uses" above).[5] TransLink cards cannot be directly transferred to mobile wallets, as they cannot be read by the NFC reader inside a mobile phone.[32] Clipper cards with a San Francisco State University Gator Pass or VTA SmartPass also cannot be transferred to mobile wallets.[63]

Clipper 2.0

[edit]

The MTC is in the process of upgrading the back-end and fare reader technology of the Clipper system under the Clipper 2.0 project. When the project launches in late 2024, it is projected to add additional features to the Clipper system such as support for paying fare with credit cards that support contactless payment, and adding the ability for families to manage multiple cards under a single account.[64][65] Additionally, the new system will allow transit operators to offer new kinds of fare structures that could benefit riders such as special fare discounts or fare capping. Specifically, the MTC plans to deploy a regional reduced cost or free transfer policy that would allow riders to transfer from a service on one transit agency to another without paying the full fare on both legs of the journey.[66]

Variants

[edit]

Super Bowl 50

[edit]

With Super Bowl 50 being held at Levi's Stadium, Bay Area transit agencies offered for sale three different designs of clipper cards to commemorate the event, all featuring footballs and the Super Bowl 50 logo. These cards were sold at the San Francisco Ferry Building as well as the nearby Embarcadero station.[67][68]

50th anniversary of BART

[edit]
BART's 50th anniversary Clipper card

In 2023, BART launched a 50th Anniversary commemorative Clipper card, available for purchase at Lake Merritt station through a customer service booth or vending machines. The card features a 1970s black and white sketch of the Transbay Tube carrying two BART trains under the Bay Bridge with the city of San Francisco in the background. BART has limited customers to purchasing three at a time from a vending machine and five at a time from the customer service booth.[69]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Youth/Senior Cards". Clipper. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  2. ^ "RTC Card & Accessibility". Clipper. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Loading Value". Clipper. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved May 9, 2021. Limited-use tickets can only be used for one-way and round trips on Golden Gate Ferry and Muni and provide no transfer discounts, but youth, senior and disabled riders can purchase discounted tickets at ticket machines.
  4. ^ "TransLink name changes to Clipper on June 16 - SF Ferry Riders".
  5. ^ a b c "Help". Clipper. Archived from the original on July 10, 2020. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  6. ^ a b c "Apple Pay | Clipper". Clipper. Archived from the original on April 15, 2021. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  7. ^ a b c "Google Pay | Clipper". clippercard.com. Archived from the original on May 19, 2021. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  8. ^ "Apple Pay - Bay Area Transit". Apple. Archived from the original on May 16, 2021. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
  9. ^ "Use Google Pay in Place of Bay Area Clipper Card - Google Pay". pay.google.com. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
  10. ^ a b c "Where To Use". Clipper. Archived from the original on July 10, 2020. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  11. ^ a b "Metropolitan Transportation Commission Fund Management System". Metropolitan Transportation Commission. Archived from the original on June 3, 2008. Retrieved June 19, 2008.
  12. ^ Bowman, Catherine (January 15, 1998). "Multitransit Card Proposed". San Francisco Chronicle.
  13. ^ Gordon, Rachael (November 27, 2007). "TransLink backers consider letting people pay for parking with card". San Francisco Chronicle.
  14. ^ "Use Clipper". Archived from the original on January 20, 2012.
  15. ^ "Use Clipper". Archived from the original on January 15, 2013.
  16. ^ "Use Clipper". Archived from the original on March 19, 2015.
  17. ^ "Use Clipper". Archived from the original on March 3, 2016.
  18. ^ "The Bay Area's all-in-one transit card".
  19. ^ "Cubic Supports Metropolitan Transportation Commission in Launching ClipperSM Card for San Francisco Bay Area". Archived from the original on March 5, 2012. Retrieved May 30, 2011.
  20. ^ Cabanatuan, Michael (February 10, 2010). "Translink, step aside". San Francisco Chronicle.
  21. ^ "ClipperSM Card Grows in Popularity and Reaches Out to Chinese Market". Metropolitan Transportation Commission. Archived from the original on 4 May 2011. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
  22. ^ 李秀蘭 (October 8, 2010). 公車儲值卡 中文名路路通. World Journal (in Chinese). Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2011.
  23. ^ "Nuevo usuario de Clipper". Clipper (in Spanish). Archived from the original on July 10, 2020. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  24. ^ Metropolitan Transportation Commission. "Frequently Asked Questions : Future of Clipper". Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  25. ^ Levin, Adina (February 17, 2014). "MTC starts work on Clipper 2.0 – will it fulfill promise of integrated regional fares?". Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  26. ^ a b Cabanatuan, Michael (September 7, 2018). "Clipper transit card getting $194 million overhaul — including phone payment app". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  27. ^ Metropolitan Transportation Commission (2018). Regional Measure 3 Expenditure Plan (PDF) (Report). Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  28. ^ Egelko, Bob (October 14, 2020). "California Supreme Court revives challenge to $1 toll increase at seven Bay Area bridges". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  29. ^ Cano, Ricardo (January 25, 2023). "California Supreme Court rejects lawsuit against 2018 transit funding measure. These Bay Area projects will benefit". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
  30. ^ a b "Clipper and Tickets". www.bart.gov. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  31. ^ a b c d Hollister, Sean (April 15, 2021). "Silicon Valley's Clipper all-in-one transit card finally adds Apple Pay". The Verge. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  32. ^ a b "Bay Area Clipper on Twitter". Twitter. Archived from the original on May 19, 2021. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  33. ^ "Bay Area Clipper on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  34. ^ "Clipper BayPass launches with unlimited transit access". August 15, 2022. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  35. ^ "Clipper BayPass pilot program launched; transit pass to be used on all Bay Area public transit agencies". CBS News. August 17, 2022. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  36. ^ "New Clipper Cards to Cost $3". September 1, 2012.
  37. ^ "Bay Area Clipper on Twitter". Twitter. Archived from the original on October 15, 2021. Retrieved October 19, 2021. Just like with plastic Clipper cards, we charge a one-time fee of $3 to help cover our operating costs to make sure our programs and services can continue serving everyone.
  38. ^ "Clipper Card's Dirty Little Secret (Hint: It Can "Go Negative")". November 9, 2010.
  39. ^ "Get Clipper". Clipper.
  40. ^ "Bay Area Clipper on Twitter". Twitter. Archived from the original on May 20, 2021. Retrieved May 21, 2021. We have waived the $3 fee for the next six months, after that we will charge $3 for virtual cards to help cover operational costs (same as plastic cards).
  41. ^ "Bay Area Clipper on Twitter". Twitter. Archived from the original on October 13, 2021. Retrieved October 19, 2021. One day left to get Clipper on your phone for free! Clipper's $3 card fee is waived until Friday (10/15) for new cards on Apple Wallet or Google Pay.
  42. ^ "Clipper promotion offers free cards on your phone" (Press release). San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. March 28, 2022.
  43. ^ "Get Card". Clipper. Retrieved October 2, 2024. get Clipper on your phone for free
  44. ^ "Use Clipper - Ways to Add Value". Clipper.
  45. ^ "Clipper". caltrain.com. July 12, 2023.
  46. ^ a b c d "Loading Value | Clipper". Clipper. Archived from the original on May 10, 2021. Retrieved May 14, 2021. Your value will be available immediately if you add value to a card in Apple Wallet or Google Pay, whether you are adding the value through the Clipper app or in your wallet. The exception is BART HVD, which will be available the following day.
  47. ^ Moench, Mallory (October 29, 2020). "More fare discounts likely for low-income Bay Area transit riders: 'There is so much hardship'". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
  48. ^ "Clipper START". Metropolitan Transportation Commission. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
  49. ^ a b Clipper START Pilot Program Update (PDF) (Report). Metropolitan Transportation Commission. February 23, 2024. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
  50. ^ "Clipper - Paying Your Fare | Golden Gate". goldengate.org. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  51. ^ "Fares". SFMTA. May 2, 2017. Archived from the original on December 14, 2017. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  52. ^ "Bay Wheels". Clipper. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  53. ^ "BikeLink". Clipper. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
  54. ^ "Clipper Cards Now Pay for Parking in Select SF Garages". Bay Crossings. August 1, 2013. Archived from the original on May 9, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  55. ^ "Park with Clipper®". SFMTA. July 1, 2013. Archived from the original on September 24, 2020. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  56. ^ a b jeff (June 10, 2011). "What Does Your Clipper Card Say About You?". Muni Diaries. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  57. ^ Butler, Eric (February 7, 2011). "FareBot: Read data from public transit cards with your NFC-equipped Android phone". Retrieved June 11, 2012.
  58. ^ "Clipper Cards Reveal Travelers' Whereabouts To Police, Lawyers, Apps". October 16, 2012. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
  59. ^ "Loading Value | Clipper". Clipper. Archived from the original on May 10, 2021. Retrieved May 14, 2021. If you purchase value for your plastic Clipper card online or by phone, it won't be available immediately. When it is, you will have to pick it up by tagging your card to a card reader, which will load the value onto your plastic Clipper card. Here's how long you'll need to wait to pick it up:
    - If you place your order by midnight, you can usually pick it up in the next 1 to 2 days.
    - If you are picking up your value on a bus or a Muni light-rail vehicle, allow up to 5 days.
    - If you are setting up automatic reloading (Autoload) with a bank account, allow an additional 10 days for value to be available.
  60. ^ "Clipper® Launches on iPhone and Apple Watch, Debuts New Mobile App". Metropolitan Transportation Commission. April 14, 2021. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  61. ^ "Apple Pay - Bay Area Transit". Apple. Archived from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  62. ^ "Bay Area Clipper on Twitter". Twitter. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved June 4, 2021. You can transfer an adult, Senior, Youth or RTC card to your phone. You cannot transfer a blocked card, a TransLink card, or a card with a Gator Pass or VTA SmartPass to your phone at this time. RTC cardholders and bike share users should keep their cards!
  63. ^ Cano, Ricardo (September 11, 2023). "Soon, you won't need a Clipper card to ride BART or Muni. Here's how it will work". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  64. ^ "The Future of Clipper". Metropolitan Transportation Commission. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  65. ^ Kaleo, Mark (December 7, 2023). "Clipper 2.0 rollout expected for late 2024 with credit/debit card payment and free transfers". Seamless Bay Area. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  66. ^ "Super Bowl Clipper card offered for Bay Area transit". The Mercury News. December 29, 2015. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  67. ^ "New Collectible Clipper Cards Issued In Honor Of Super Bowl 50". www.cbsnews.com. January 2016. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  68. ^ "Purchase a special BART 50th anniversary Clipper card at Lake Merritt Station". bart.gov. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
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