Clipper Card Keeps Pace With 2014 Transit Fare Increases and Policy Changes
OAKLAND, CA — The new year will bring a series of transit fare increases as well as other changes that will affect customers of the Bay Area’s Clipper transit fare card.
BART Fare Increases
Starting January 1, 2014, BART fares will increase 5.2 percent across all routes. Prices for BART High Value Discount tickets will not be affected (still priced at $45 for a $48-value ticket and $60 for a $64-value ticket). You can view updated fares for specific routes online at bart.gov.
If you are enrolled in a transit benefits program such as Clipper Direct, WageWorks or Commuter Check, you may want to adjust your withholding and transit order to compensate for the new higher fares.
San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) Fare Increases
Starting January 1, 2014, SFMTA will increase the price of Muni 1-day, 3-day and 7-day passports. The new prices are:
- 1-Day Passport: $15
- 3-Day Passport: $23
- 7-Day Passport: $29
New prices will be reflected on the clippercard.com website and at all other ticket machines and retail stores.
SamTrans Monthly Pass Extension
SamTrans has extended the deadline for purchasing Monthly Passes. Customers now have between the 21st of the current month and the 15th of the following month to purchase a Monthly Pass. January passes will be available from December 21 through January 15. The new deadline adds an extra week to the purchase period.
AC Transit Youth Clipper Cards
AC Transit has made it easier to apply for a Youth Clipper card by eliminating the requirement for a photo ID on the Youth card. It is no longer necessary for caregivers to bring children to AC Transit headquarters in person to apply for a Youth Clipper card. Instead, customers can submit applications by mail, email or fax. Applications and instructions are available online at clippercard.com/discounts.
If you wish to obtain a Youth Clipper card the same day, you can still apply in person at the AC Transit Customer Service Center, 1600 Franklin Street, Oakland, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. You can also get a same-day card at the Clipper Customer Service Kiosk on the concourse level of the Embarcadero BART/Muni Station (Monday through Friday, 5:45 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.) or at Bay Crossings in the San Francisco Ferry Building (Monday through Saturday, 6:45 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.).
Photos will no longer be required on the card, but you will still need to bring proof of eligibility when applying for a youth card.
Pre-Tax Limit Lower in 2014
In addition to these fare increases and policy changes, Clipper card customers enrolled in transit benefit programs such as Clipper Direct should be aware that the federal statutory pre-tax limit is scheduled to decrease from $245 per month to $130 per month starting January 1, 2014.
If the cost of your transit pass exceeds the funding limit, Clipper Direct will allow you to use personal funds to make up the difference. For example, if your funding limit is $130 and your monthly transit costs are $150, you can pay the additional $20 using your credit card.
“The great thing about Clipper is that it always knows to charge the current fares, making riding transit a seamless experience,” said Carol Kuester, director of Electronic Payments for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), which manages the Clipper program.
Introduced in 2010, Clipper now boasts 1.3 million customers who take an average of 690,000 rides per weekday. Clipper can be used to pay fares on eight Bay Area Transit systems: AC Transit, BART, Caltrain, Golden Gate Transit & Ferry, Muni, SamTrans, San Francisco Bay Ferry and VTA. For more information, visit clippercard.com.
Contact:
Catalina Alvarado: (510) 817-5783