At its regularly scheduled Board meeting in September, the Water Emergency Transit Agency (WETA), operator of San Francisco Bay Ferry, voted unanimously to approve Clipper Card fares and a new ferry/MUNI transfer policy for the Alameda/Oakland and Harbor Bay ferry routes, effective October 1.
Published: October, 2012
At its regularly scheduled Board meeting in September, the Water Emergency Transit Agency (WETA), operator of San Francisco Bay Ferry, voted unanimously to approve Clipper Card fares and a new ferry/MUNI transfer policy for the Alameda/Oakland and Harbor Bay ferry routes, effective October 1.
The new one-way fare for adult passengers using Clipper will be $4.75 on the Alameda/Oakland to San Francisco route, and $5.00 on the Harbor Bay to San Francisco route, in line with current discounted fares at the most commonly used fare option, a 20-ticket book. Passengers currently purchasing adult single one-way tickets stand to save between $1.25 and $1.50 each time they ride the ferry. Although paper tickets will continue to be available, riders that opt to use Clipper will enjoy a number of benefits, including access to Clipper Direct, an employer transit benefit program, whereby commuters receive a 30 – 40 percent discount by paying with pre-tax dollars. Furthermore, since Clipper payments are cashless, passengers no longer need to have exact change or purchase a ticket on board.
"Introducing Clipper on the Alameda/Oakland and Harbor Bay routes is central to the integration of the ferry system with the long-term vision for Bay Area transit infrastructure," said Nina Rannells, Executive Director of WETA. "Clipper connects ferry riders to the extended transit network, allowing seamless transition to BART, MUNI and other transit operators."
Concurrent with the introduction of Clipper on the Alameda/Oakland and Harbor Bay ferry routes, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency also will implement an initiative to replace existing paper transfer discounts of $2 for San Francisco Bay Ferry passengers transferring to and from MUNI services with a $.50 discount, in line with regional policies of Golden Gate Ferry and BART. As of October 1, San Francisco Bay Ferry will contribute an inter-operator transfer discount of $.50 for adult MUNI passengers transferring to/from the ferry using Clipper. These transfer discounts will only be available to riders using Clipper, and will not be available to ferry passengers who continue to purchase paper ticket fares. Passengers with pre-purchased paper tickets that include the free MUNI transfer will have a 30-day grace period in which to use the paper transfers. After November 1, 2012, paper transfers will no longer be valid, and will not be accepted by MUNI.
As of October 1, Clipper will be available on three San Francisco Bay Ferry routes: South San Francisco to Alameda/Oakland; Alameda/Oakland to San Francisco; and Alameda Harbor Bay to San Francisco. San Francisco Bay Ferry representatives are working to coordinate the implementation of Clipper on the Vallejo to San Francisco service in 2013.
For more information, and details on how to use Clipper on the ferry, please visit www.sanfranciscobayferry.com.
