SFMTA Unveils New Clipper Fare Gates

MTC’s project to make the Clipper card the convenient way to pay transit fares regionwide took a major step forward when the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) today unveiled new Clipper fare gates and related ticket vending machines (TVM) at the Civic Center Muni Metro station. The single array of fare gates and the TVMs at Civic Center Station will go live next month along with the rest of the state-of-the-art equipment in the entire subway, replacing the current 30-year-old fare-collection system. The $30.1 million fare equipment project is supported by $11 million in federal stimulus funds along with additional funds from federal, state and regional sources, including $2.7 million in Regional Measure 2 funds contributed by MTC.

“The federal stimulus dollars used in this project illustrate the importance of re-investing in our infrastructure,” said Mayor Gavin Newsom. “By getting this project off the ground, this investment in our transportation system will help drive our city’s economic growth.”

“Muni moves nearly the equivalent of San Francisco’s population every day,” said Nathaniel P. Ford Sr., Executive Director/CEO for SFMTA, which operates the city’s Muni bus, rail, trolley, subway and cable car system. “We are constantly looking for ways to improve the riding experience for each of these customers by making our system even more efficient and easier to use. The new, modern Clipper fare gates and TVMs are more examples of our commitment to these important goals.”

Noted MTC Commissioner Jon Rubin, who represents San Francisco on MTC, “SFMTA is helping to expand the ease and convenience of Clipper to more customers. It’s another milestone on the path toward making Clipper the preferred transit fare-payment method throughout the Bay Area.”

The new fare collection equipment to be installed in the nine Muni Metro stations this fall has been used in cities around the country and the world such as London and Atlanta. It includes 81 standard fare gates, 19 accessible fare gates and 40 TVMs. This equipment will improve Muni customers’ experience and accessibility in Muni Metro stations, reduce fare evasion, reduce the amount of paper waste, promote Clipper and regional transit use, and improve the transaction times at the fare gates and vending machines.

The cash-less fare gates will accept Clipper cards and the new, 90-day limited use Muni tickets. They will also have, for a limited time, magnetic stripe readers attached to them so that those customers who have not yet switched to Clipper can still use their fast passes to enter at the fare gates. No transfers will be issued at the fare gates. The contact-less design of the gates means no ticket jams or jammed coin slots.

At the TVMs cash customers can purchase their fares. They may either buy their fare on a Clipper card or on a 90-day limited use paper Muni ticket. Customers who already have a card or ticket can use the TVMs to check their balance or add value. The TVMs have an accessible design in terms of the layout of the features as well as Braille labeling and audio in three languages (Spanish, Chinese and English). The TVMs accept cash, credit cards, debit cards and even tokens. The TVMs will provide change and receipts.

While most San Francisco Bay Area residents will want to use the Clipper card, infrequent visitors to the City may prefer to use the new 90-day Limited Use Ticket (LUT) for Muni. The Muni tickets expire after 90 days, cannot be registered for balance protection, and require a one-time 25-cent surcharge to the vendor to cover the cost. The Muni tickets are notable for the bright photographs on them that capture the diversity of Muni’s unique transit fleet.

Throughout the spring and summer preparations have been under way for the installation of the fare gates, while the installation of the TVMs began this month. Currently the installed fare gates (Civic Center Station only) and TVMs are undergoing testing. TVMs have been installed at Powell, Civic Center, Forest Hill and Church stations. The fare gates at Civic Center and all TVMs are not yet open for customer use due to the testing and preparations for the complete launch this fall.

MTC is noting an upsurge in electronic fare payment since the Clipper card replaced the TransLink® card in June of 2010, and a new marketing campaign was launched. Clipper accounts for almost 36,000 weekday boardings on Muni, and more than 93,000 weekday boards on all the transit systems (including Muni) that now accept Clipper. In addition to Muni, Clipper is now in use on BART, AC Transit in the East Bay (as well as the Dumbarton Express), Caltrain on the Peninsula, and Golden Gate Transit buses and ferries in the North Bay. In the coming year, the Clipper family will expand to include both SamTrans and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, or VTA. Eventually, customers will be able to use Clipper to pay their fares on all Bay Area transit systems.

Time to Switch to Clipper

Last month the SFMTA announced that it will eliminate the paper version of most monthly Muni passes and the Regional Transit Connection (RTC) sticker from its system and will transition all passes, except the Lifeline pass, and the stickers to the reusable Clipper card by next spring.

The first pass to switch will be the Muni “A” Fast Pass, which allows customers to access BART in San Francisco as well as Muni. Customers who use these passes must switch to a Clipper card by the end of October, before they purchase their November pass. The Agency is urging all Muni customers to avoid the rush and begin using the Clipper card now.



Monthly “A” Fast Pass customers can get their Clipper cards for free during this introductory period from any Clipper retailer (see clippercard.com for list), by visiting clippercard.com or by calling 877.878.8883. RTC cardholders can use the Clipper function of their cards to load cash value or a discount monthly pass.

Senior and Youth pass holders will be the next to transition in early 2011, followed by “M” Fast Pass customers in spring 2011. Senior and Youth pass holders will apply for their card in person and receive their Clipper card by mail.

Note that Muni customers who hold TransLink® cards (the predecessor to Clipper) can use their cards at the new fare gates; they do not need to get a Clipper card.

All monthly Muni passes on the Clipper card will work the same as they always have; however, instead of throwing them away at the end of the month, customers can reload their Clipper cards again and again, saving Muni time and money – and helping the environment. With Clipper, customers can also register their card for balance protection and sign up for automatic reloading.

For more information on the Clipper card, please visitwww.clippercard.com. Muni customers can learn more about using the Clipper card on Muni and the transition to Clipper by visiting www.sfmta.com/clipper.

More information on the new Muni 90-day Limited Use Ticket (LUT)

For information in Spanish or Chinese, please call 311.