From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Clipper
The Clipper logo. Two ships, each composed of three rounded blue triangles pointing upwards atop one blue triangle pointing downwards. The ship on the right is twice as large as the ship on the left. At the right is the word "Clipper" in all capital letters.
Clipper logo
Other names
  • 路路通 (Chinese)
Location San Francisco Bay Area
LaunchedJune 16, 2010
Technology
Operator Cubic Transportation Systems
Manager Metropolitan Transportation Commission
Currency United States dollar ($300 maximum load)
Credit expiryNone
Auto rechargeYes
Validity
Retailed
Variants
  • Youth Clipper card [1]
  • Senior Clipper card [1]
  • RTC Clipper card [2]
  • Limited-use Muni ticket [3]
  • Limited-use Golden Gate Ferry ticket [3]
Website Clippercard.com

The Clipper card is a reloadable contactless smart card used for automated fare collection in the San Francisco Bay Area. First introduced as TransLink in 2002 by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) as a pilot program, it was rebranded in its current form on June 16, 2010. [4] Like other transit smart cards such as the Oyster card, the Clipper card is a credit card-sized stored-value card capable of holding both cash value and transit passes for the participating transit agencies. [5] In addition to the traditional plastic card, Clipper is available as a virtual card in Google Wallet and Apple Wallet. [6] [7] [8] [9] Clipper is accepted by nearly all public transit services in the Bay Area, including but not limited to Muni, BART, Caltrain, AC Transit, SamTrans, Golden Gate Transit, Golden Gate Ferry, San Francisco Bay Ferry, and VTA. [10]

History

The former TransLink card, issued prior to June 2010.

In 1993, Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) and County Connection launched a pilot program named Translink (not to be confused with other agencies with that name) that allowed the use of a single fare card between the two systems. [11] The card, which used magnetic stripe technology, was envisioned to one day include all Bay Area transit agencies. However, because of technical problems, the program was abandoned two years later. [11]

Translink had a projected capital cost of $4 million when undertaken in 1993. [11] In its current form, first as TransLink and later as Clipper, implementation was expected to cost $30 million. [12] Cost estimates have since increased; in 2008, the projected 25-year capital and operations costs were estimated at $338 million. [12]

Implementation took more than a decade. In 1998, MTC envisioned full availability of TransLink by 2001. [13] However, it was fully operational for only five transit agencies by 2009; [14] only 7 agencies by January 2012, [15] 8 in January 2013, [16] 13 by March 2015, [17] finally reaching 20 agencies by March 2016. [18] As of October 2022, the card can be used on 24 agencies, [19] unlocking bike shares, and validating BART parking.

TransLink was developed by Australian-based ERG Group and Motorola under the ERG-Motorola alliance in April 1999. However, upon the launch of Clipper, Cubic Transportation Systems took over administration of distribution, customer service, and financial settlement of the program. [20]

The Clipper card

On June 16, 2010, MTC changed the TransLink name to Clipper, an homage to the clipper ships of the 19th century, the fastest way to travel from the East Coast to San Francisco, [21] and eliminated the contact interface which had been used to load funds onto the cards at TransLink machines.

In October 2010, the MTC selected 路路通 ( Pinyin: Lùlùtōng, the "Go Everywhere Card", lit. "every transit route/line pass") as the official Chinese name for Clipper. [22] [23] In Spanish it is known as "tarjeta Clipper". [24]

In 2014, the MTC started an initiative to design the next generation version of the Clipper system, nicknamed "C2" or "Clipper 2.0". [25] [26] The contract with Cubic for the existing Clipper system expired in 2019, and the system architecture dates from the 1990s. These factors led the MTC to start developing a next generation system planned to begin operation in 2021. [27] The new system was specified to include a mobile app as well as integration with digital wallets. [27] The upgrade was planned to be funded in part by $50 million from Regional Measure 3, a bridge toll increase approved in June 2018, but the funds from the measure are on hold due to a lawsuit. [28] [29]

In December 2020, BART announced that it had converted all of its ticket machines to Clipper-only, discontinuing the sale of paper magstripe tickets that had been used since the system's inception in the 1970s. [30] Existing paper tickets remain valid and add-fare machines inside the paid area of each station can be used to add fare to paper tickets if they have insufficient fare remaining to exit at the station in question. [30]

On April 15, 2021, Clipper became available in Apple Wallet, and the Clipper mobile app for iOS was released. [31] Integration with Google Pay and an Android app were released on May 19, 2021. [32]

In March 2022, Clipper announced that its older card readers were to be replaced soon, and that the new readers would not be backwards-compatible with TransLink cards. [33]

As part of efforts to integrate the fare systems of Bay Area transit agencies, the Clipper Bay Pass pilot program was announced in August 2022. The Bay Pass provides free unlimited rides on Clipper-enabled transit systems to a subset of students at participating educational institutions. [34] The program is planned to expand to other institutions, such as businesses and non-profits, in 2023. [35]

Usage

A Clipper card being used to enter a BART faregate

Cost of card

Obtaining a card was free from introduction in June 2010 to encourage users to adopt the card, until September 1, 2012, when new adult cards began to cost $3. [36] This charge covers the cost (approximately $2) to manufacture each card, helps cover operating expenses, [37] and reduces the incentive to throw away the card if the value goes negative when fare is calculated on exit. [38] The $3 fee is waived if the card is registered for Autoload at the time of purchase (in which case it cannot go negative). [39] There is no fee to transfer plastic Clipper cards to mobile wallets. [6] [7] The $3 fee for new virtual cards in mobile wallets was waived for the first six months following launch [40] but came into effect on October 15, 2021. [41] The fee was temporarily waived again beginning in March 2022 due to supply chain issues reducing the availability of plastic cards. [42]

Adding money and transit passes

A Clipper card vending machine, used to buy new cards and load transit value and passes, at Salesforce Transit Center.

Passengers can add money and transit passes to their Clipper cards in person ("at participating retailers, participating transit agencies' ticket vending machines and ticket offices, Clipper Customer Service Centers, and Clipper Add Value Machines") at work, automatically, online, or using the Clipper mobile app. While money and passes added in person are available to use immediately, doing the same by telephone, online, or using the mobile app may take 3–5 days to register on a physical Clipper card. [43] [44] Cash value and passes added online or via the mobile app to virtual Clipper cards in Google Pay or Apple Wallet are available for immediate use, except for BART High-Value Discount tickets; these are available by the following day. [6] [45]

Transit services

Clipper is currently accepted on 24 Bay Area transit services: [10]

A number of smaller regional transit agencies have not yet joined Clipper, including ACE and Rio Vista Delta Breeze. Clipper is not accepted on Amtrak California's Capitol Corridor or San Joaquins trains, despite these serving the Bay Area. [10]


The fare rules for each participating transit service are set by the agency operating the service, not by Clipper. Each service has differing rules that approximate the fare collection rules used by that service prior to Clipper adoption, and are adapted to the needs of that service. For example, Golden Gate Transit uses a zone-based fare system, so it requires passengers to tag on when boarding and tag off when alighting; [46] in contrast, San Francisco's Muni has a flat fare structure so it only requires that passengers tag on when boarding. [47]

Other uses

Clipper cards are accepted by Bay Wheels, the Bay Area's bikeshare system, as well as some electronic bicycle lockers operated by BikeLink. For each of these systems, the Clipper card is used not for payment but only as a key; users must have a credit or debit card linked to their Bay Wheels or BikeLink account, and usage fees are charged to this linked payment card, not deducted from the Clipper card's stored value. [48] [49] These systems are not compatible with mobile wallets such as Google Pay or Apple Pay; only physical Clipper cards may be used. [5]

Beginning in 2013, a few parking garages in the Bay Area accepted Clipper for payment as part of a pilot program. Funds used for parking were kept separate from those used for transit. [50] [51] This program was discontinued effective September 1, 2017.

Technology

Updated Clipper Card reader alongside legacy reader at Lawrence station, 2022

Clipper cards contain an NXP Semiconductors MIFARE DESFire (MF3ICD40) or MIFARE DESFire EV1 (MF3ICD41) integrated circuit inside the card. [52] The card operates on the 13.56 MHz range, [52] putting it into the Near-Field Communication category. Because the card uses NFC technology, any NFC-enabled device can read the serial number, travel history, and current balance on the card. [53] [54]

Because Clipper operates in multiple geographical areas with sporadic or non-existent internet access, the fare collection and verification technology needs to operate without any networking. To accomplish this, the Clipper card memory keeps track of balance on the card, fares paid, and trip history. This also means if funds are added to the Clipper account via the internet, funds will not show up on the Clipper card until it has been tagged at an internet-enabled (or recently synchronized) Clipper payment terminal. [45] Buses and other vehicles without internet access will have to return to a service station in order to synchronize with Clipper's servers. [45] During synchronization, the payment collection device will upload to the server data about any fares collected, and will download information about new funds and passes added online or over the phone. Riders who tag their card at a recently synchronized payment collection device will have their card updated to reflect their true account balance. [45]

The waiting period between synchronizations may cause some cards to report lower funds than are actually on the corresponding Clipper account. [55]

Mobile wallets

On April 15, 2021, the Clipper mobile app for iOS was released, and Clipper became available in Apple Wallet, joining other transit cards such as Suica, Pasmo, and TAP. [56] [31] Supported devices include iPhone 8 or later and Apple Watch Series 3 or later. [57] Customers can create new virtual Clipper cards or transfer their existing plastic Clipper cards to Apple Wallet by using their iPhone's built-in NFC reader. [31]

On May 19, 2021, the Clipper mobile app was released for Android, and Clipper became available in Google Pay. [32] Phones must have an NFC chip and be running Android 5.0 (Lollipop) or later to be used for mobile payment. [7]

Physical Clipper cards transferred to mobile wallets can no longer be reloaded or used to pay for fares, but will continue to work as keys to unlock Bay Wheels bikes and BikeLink bike lockers (see " § Other uses" above). [5] TransLink cards cannot be directly transferred to mobile wallets, as they cannot be read by the NFC reader inside a mobile phone. [31] Clipper cards with a San Francisco State University Gator Pass or VTA SmartPass also cannot be transferred to mobile wallets. [58]

Variants

Super Bowl 50

With Super Bowl 50 being held at Levi's Stadium, Bay Area transit agencies offered for sale three different designs of clipper cards to commemorate the event, all featuring footballs and the Super Bowl 50 logo. These cards were sold at the San Francisco Ferry Building as well as the nearby Embarcadero station. [59] [60]

50th anniversary of BART

BART's 50th anniversary Clipper card

In 2023, BART launched a 50th Anniversary commemorative Clipper card, available for purchase at Lake Merritt station through a customer service booth or vending machines. The card features a 1970s black and white sketch of the Transbay Tube carrying two BART trains under the Bay Bridge with the city of San Francisco in the background. BART has limited customers to purchasing three at a time from a vending machine and five at a time from the customer service booth. [61]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Youth/Senior Cards". Clipper. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  2. ^ "RTC Card & Accessibility". Clipper. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Loading Value". Clipper. Archived from the original on 2020-08-09. Retrieved 9 May 2021. Limited-use tickets can only be used for one-way and round trips on Golden Gate Ferry and Muni and provide no transfer discounts, but youth, senior and disabled riders can purchase discounted tickets at ticket machines.
  4. ^ "TransLink name changes to Clipper on June 16 - SF Ferry Riders".
  5. ^ a b c "Help". Clipper. Archived from the original on 2020-07-10. Retrieved 2021-05-09.
  6. ^ a b c "Apple Pay | Clipper". Clipper. Archived from the original on 2021-04-15. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  7. ^ a b c "Google Pay | Clipper". www.clippercard.com. Archived from the original on 2021-05-19. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  8. ^ "Apple Pay - Bay Area Transit". Apple. Archived from the original on 2021-05-16. Retrieved 2021-05-25.
  9. ^ "Use Google Pay in Place of Bay Area Clipper Card - Google Pay". pay.google.com. Retrieved 2021-05-25.
  10. ^ a b c "Where To Use". Clipper. Archived from the original on 2020-07-10. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  11. ^ a b "Metropolitan Transportation Commission Fund Management System". Metropolitan Transportation Commission. Archived from the original on 3 June 2008. Retrieved 19 June 2008. {{ cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= ( help)
  12. ^ Bowman, Catherine (15 January 1998). "Multitransit Card Proposed". San Francisco Chronicle.
  13. ^ Gordon, Rachael (27 November 2007). "TransLink backers consider letting people pay for parking with card". San Francisco Chronicle.
  14. ^ "Use Clipper". Archived from the original on 2012-01-20.
  15. ^ "Use Clipper". Archived from the original on 2013-01-15.
  16. ^ "Use Clipper". Archived from the original on 2015-03-19.
  17. ^ "Use Clipper". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03.
  18. ^ "The Bay Area's all-in-one transit card".
  19. ^ "Cubic Supports Metropolitan Transportation Commission in Launching ClipperSM Card for San Francisco Bay Area". Archived from the original on 5 March 2012. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
  20. ^ Cabanatuan, Michael (10 February 2010). "Translink, step aside". San Francisco Chronicle.
  21. ^ "ClipperSM Card Grows in Popularity and Reaches Out to Chinese Market". Metropolitan Transportation Commission. Archived from the original on 4 May 2011. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
  22. ^ 李秀蘭 (8 October 2010). 公車儲值卡 中文名路路通. World Journal (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 16 July 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
  23. ^ "Nuevo usuario de Clipper". Clipper (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2020-07-10. Retrieved 2021-05-09.
  24. ^ Metropolitan Transportation Commission. "Frequently Asked Questions : Future of Clipper". Retrieved 2018-06-16.
  25. ^ Levin, Adina (2014-02-17). "MTC starts work on Clipper 2.0 – will it fulfill promise of integrated regional fares?". Retrieved 2018-06-16.
  26. ^ a b Cabanatuan, Michael (September 7, 2018). "Clipper transit card getting $194 million overhaul — including phone payment app". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  27. ^ Metropolitan Transportation Commission (2018). Regional Measure 3 Expenditure Plan (PDF) (Report). Retrieved 2018-05-16.
  28. ^ Egelko, Bob (October 14, 2020). "California Supreme Court revives challenge to $1 toll increase at seven Bay Area bridges". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  29. ^ a b "Clipper and Tickets". www.bart.gov. Retrieved 2021-05-09.
  30. ^ a b c d Hollister, Sean (2021-04-15). "Silicon Valley's Clipper all-in-one transit card finally adds Apple Pay". The Verge. Retrieved 2021-05-09.
  31. ^ a b "Bay Area Clipper on Twitter". Twitter. Archived from the original on 2021-05-19. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
  32. ^ "Bay Area Clipper on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  33. ^ "Clipper BayPass launches with unlimited transit access". 2022-08-15. Retrieved 2022-09-10.
  34. ^ "Clipper BayPass pilot program launched; transit pass to be used on all Bay Area public transit agencies". CBS News. 2022-08-17. Retrieved 2022-09-10.
  35. ^ "New Clipper Cards to Cost $3". 1 September 2012.
  36. ^ "Bay Area Clipper on Twitter". Twitter. Archived from the original on 2021-10-15. Retrieved 2021-10-19. Just like with plastic Clipper cards, we charge a one-time fee of $3 to help cover our operating costs to make sure our programs and services can continue serving everyone.
  37. ^ "Clipper Card's Dirty Little Secret (Hint: It Can "Go Negative")". 9 November 2010.
  38. ^ "Get Clipper". Clipper.
  39. ^ "Bay Area Clipper on Twitter". Twitter. Archived from the original on 2021-05-20. Retrieved 2021-05-21. We have waived the $3 fee for the next six months, after that we will charge $3 for virtual cards to help cover operational costs (same as plastic cards).
  40. ^ "Bay Area Clipper on Twitter". Twitter. Archived from the original on 2021-10-13. Retrieved 2021-10-19. One day left to get Clipper on your phone for free! Clipper's $3 card fee is waived until Friday (10/15) for new cards on Apple Wallet or Google Pay.
  41. ^ "Clipper promotion offers free cards on your phone" (Press release). San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. March 28, 2022.
  42. ^ "Use Clipper - Ways to Add Value". Clipper.
  43. ^ "Clipper". www.caltrain.com. 12 July 2023.
  44. ^ a b c d "Loading Value | Clipper". Clipper. Archived from the original on 2021-05-10. Retrieved 14 May 2021. Your value will be available immediately if you add value to a card in Apple Wallet or Google Pay, whether you are adding the value through the Clipper app or in your wallet. The exception is BART HVD, which will be available the following day.
  45. ^ "Clipper - Paying Your Fare | Golden Gate". www.goldengate.org. Retrieved 2021-05-13.
  46. ^ "Fares". SFMTA. 2017-05-02. Archived from the original on 2017-12-14. Retrieved 2021-05-13.
  47. ^ "Bay Wheels". Clipper. Archived from the original on 2020-08-09. Retrieved 2021-05-09.
  48. ^ "BikeLink". Clipper. Archived from the original on 2020-08-09. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
  49. ^ "Clipper Cards Now Pay for Parking in Select SF Garages". Bay Crossings. 2013-08-01. Archived from the original on 2021-05-09. Retrieved 2021-05-13.
  50. ^ "Park with Clipper®". SFMTA. 2013-07-01. Archived from the original on 2020-09-24. Retrieved 2021-05-09.
  51. ^ a b jeff (2011-06-10). "What Does Your Clipper Card Say About You?". Muni Diaries. Retrieved 2021-05-15.
  52. ^ Butler, Eric (7 February 2011). "FareBot: Read data from public transit cards with your NFC-equipped Android phone". Retrieved 11 June 2012.
  53. ^ "Clipper Cards Reveal Travelers' Whereabouts To Police, Lawyers, Apps". 2012-10-16. Retrieved 2015-06-06.
  54. ^ "Loading Value | Clipper". Clipper. Archived from the original on 2021-05-10. Retrieved 14 May 2021. If you purchase value for your plastic Clipper card online or by phone, it won't be available immediately. When it is, you will have to pick it up by tagging your card to a card reader, which will load the value onto your plastic Clipper card. Here's how long you'll need to wait to pick it up:
    - If you place your order by midnight, you can usually pick it up in the next 1 to 2 days.
    - If you are picking up your value on a bus or a Muni light-rail vehicle, allow up to 5 days.
    - If you are setting up automatic reloading (Autoload) with a bank account, allow an additional 10 days for value to be available.
  55. ^ "Clipper® Launches on iPhone and Apple Watch, Debuts New Mobile App". Metropolitan Transportation Commission. 2021-04-14. Retrieved 2021-05-09.
  56. ^ "Apple Pay - Bay Area Transit". Apple. Archived from the original on 2021-05-13. Retrieved 2021-05-09.
  57. ^ "Bay Area Clipper on Twitter". Twitter. Archived from the original on 2021-06-02. Retrieved 2021-06-04. You can transfer an adult, Senior, Youth or RTC card to your phone. You cannot transfer a blocked card, a TransLink card, or a card with a Gator Pass or VTA SmartPass to your phone at this time. RTC cardholders and bike share users should keep their cards!
  58. ^ "Super Bowl Clipper card offered for Bay Area transit". The Mercury News. 2015-12-29. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  59. ^ "New Collectible Clipper Cards Issued In Honor Of Super Bowl 50". www.cbsnews.com. January 2016. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  60. ^ "Purchase a special BART 50th anniversary Clipper card at Lake Merritt Station | bart.gov". www.bart.gov. Retrieved 2023-05-09.

External links