Clipper, the all-in-one transit fare payment card already accepted on nine Bay Area transit systems, has expanded its network of participating transit operators to Napa and Solano counties with the addition of Fairfield-Suisun Transit (FAST), SolTrans, the VINE, Vacaville City Coach and San Francisco Bay Ferry’s Vallejo-to-San Francisco route.
Clipper is now accepted on the San Francisco Bay Ferry Vallejo/San Francisco route. The service already accepts Clipper on its Oakland/Alameda/San Francisco, Harbor Bay/San Francisco and Oakland/Alameda/South San Francisco routes.
BC Staff Report
Published: December, 2014
Clipper, the all-in-one transit fare payment card already accepted on nine Bay Area transit systems, has expanded its network of participating transit operators to Napa and Solano counties with the addition of Fairfield-Suisun Transit (FAST), SolTrans, the VINE, Vacaville City Coach and San Francisco Bay Ferry’s Vallejo-to-San Francisco route.
The four bus agencies will accept cash value on a Clipper card as well as a range of 31-day passes good for local or express travel. The Vallejo/San Francisco ferry service will accept only cash value on Clipper; customers who pay with Clipper instead of cash will receive a significant discount.
“Using express bus service to the El Cerrito del Norte, Pleasant Hill or Walnut Creek BART stations just got more convenient since riders will only need one card to ride both bus and BART,” said Jim Spering, longtime Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) Commissioner and Solano County Supervisor. “Local riders will see the benefits of Clipper as well, since it works with many transit benefit programs and can be registered to protect your balance.”
FAST, SolTrans and The VINE all offer express routes to the El Cerrito del Norte BART station, and FAST and SolTrans also offer express routes to the Pleasant Hill and Walnut Creek BART stations. Ferry riders will be able to use a single Clipper card to pay for the ferry as well as local bus service in Solano and Napa counties and San Francisco. Please note that Clipper is not yet accepted on VINE Route 29F from Napa to the Vallejo Ferry Terminal, SolanoExpress Short Hop routes 30 and 40, the St. Helena Shuttle, American Canyon Transit, the Calistoga Shuttle or the Yountville Trolley.
“I’m proud MTC continues to fulfill its commitment to provide a single regional transit fare payment system,” said MTC Commissioner and Napa County Supervisor Bill Dodd. “The ability to set up Autoload, manage your account online and other great features certainly makes Clipper a more attractive option than cash.”
Clipper is not completely new to San Francisco Bay Ferry—the service already accepts Clipper on its Oakland/Alameda/San Francisco, Harbor Bay/San Francisco and Oakland/Alameda/South San Francisco routes. Clipper is also accepted on BART, Muni, AC Transit, Golden Gate Transit and Ferry, Caltrain, SamTrans, VTA and Marin Transit.
Launched in 2010, the Clipper card is popular with transit riders: A December 2013 survey of 810 registered cardholders found that 90 percent are satisfied or very satisfied, and almost all (97 percent) would recommend Clipper to others.
Clipper is used for fare payment on nearly half of all transit trips in the Bay Area, and was used for an average of 780,000 trips each weekday in September. More than one-third of all registered Clipper cards are signed up for Autoload, which automatically reloads value on the card when it runs low.
MTC will expand Clipper again next year to the Livermore-Amador Valley Transit Authority (WHEELS) in Alameda County; and County Connection, WestCAT and Tri-Delta Transit in Contra Costa County. The Clipper network will expand again by the spring of 2016 to include Santa Rosa City Bus, Sonoma County Transit, and Petaluma Transit in Sonoma County. Clipper also will be the fare payment method used by Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) when it begins operation in 2016.
Clipper is a service provided by Bay Area transit operators and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the transportation planning, financing and coordinating agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area.
For more information about Clipper, go to www.clippercard.com or call Clipper Customer Service at 877.878.8883.
SolTrans is one of the four bus agencies in Solano and Napa counties that will now accept Clipper.
