It’s been nearly a year since TransLink® cards were distributed to loyal Golden Gate Transit and Ferry and AC Transit riders for the card’s "pre-launch" break-in phase. The goal was to have a limited group of riders help work out any kinks in the system. But word spread and others started requesting the card: By July 2007, 5,500 commuters were paying fares with TransLink, taking 4,700 trips a week with the cards.
By Lysa Hale
Published: October, 2007
These numbers will surge now that TransLink — the reloadable smart card that’s more convenient than cash, tickets or passes — is widely available to Golden Gate and AC Transit riders, and MTC and its partners are launching a marketing campaign.
TransLink is simple to use. When boarding a bus or ferry, simply tag the TransLink card to the logo on the card reader and hold it until you hear a beep. Golden Gate bus riders also need totag offwhen they deboard to ensure they are charged the correct fare. TransLink always checks first to see if a card has a valid pass or transfer before deducting the fare. You can get a card or add fare value online, on the phone, at retail locations or at transit stations — or even have value added automatically.
And users can save money, too. Golden Gate Transit and Ferry always gives bus riders 20 percent and ferry riders 37 to 46 percent off cash fares with TransLink. And through January 31, 2008, AC Transit is offering introductory discounts for TransLink users: 25 cents off adult cash fares, $5 off a local adult 31-day pass and $10 off a transbay adult 31-day pass.
The card was tested with six transit agencies in a pilot program beginning in February 2002 and then was rolled out on a limited basis on AC Transit, Golden Gate Transit and Ferry, and the Dumbarton Express in November 2006. Now all riders on those transit services will be able to get a card. BART, Muni and Caltrain will begin accepting TransLink in spring 2008, followed by SamTrans and Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) in 2009. Eventually all Bay Area transit agencies will accept TransLink.
Regionwide implementation of TransLink means passengers will no longer have to carry exact change or operator-specific tickets or passes. Because TransLink is a smart card designed to store multiple fares, passengers who use more than one transit system will be able either to use electronic cash (e-cash) or to load multiple passes or stored rides on a single card.
Some of the card’s other benefits include:
• Automatic reloading through Autoload — A card holder pre-authorizes a secure transfer of electronic funds from a bank account or credit card to load e-cash or a monthly pass to the TransLink card whenever it gets low on value.
• Card and value replacement — If your card is lost or stolen, the card and the value on it can be replaced for a small fee.
• Speed of boarding — Passengers using TransLink get on board much faster than with cash or magnetic payment.
TransLink takes the uncertainty out of calculating fares, said Jacob Avidon, project manager for TransLink. Whether you’re using just one transit system or transferring between systems, and whether your card is storing cash value, passes or both, TransLink automatically calculates the correct fare. It gives riders one less thing to worry about.
San Anselmo resident Ellin A. Purdom is director of client services for a San Francisco investment advisory firm. She discovered TransLink when she rode the Golden Gate Ferry on a Spare the Air Day last year. I noticed this machine that passengers were tapping their cards to as they entered to board,she explains.
Now Purdom is a self-confessed TransLink fan/devotee. Her favorite TransLink feature is Autoload, which allows her to reload her card automatically from her credit card when her balance falls below $10. I don’t have to add funds manually, or go to a local TransLink office, she says. It works just like FasTrak.
TransLink is a joint effort of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), AC Transit, BART, Caltrain, Golden Gate Transit, Muni, SamTrans, Santa Clara VTA and all other Bay Area transit agencies.
To order a TransLink card, visit the TransLink website at www.translink.org
, or call the TransLink Customer Service Center at 1-877-878-8883.
