Clipper card
 |
|
| Location | San Francisco Bay Area |
|---|---|
| Launched | 2010 |
| Operator | Cubic Transportation Systems |
| Manager | Metropolitan Transportation Commission |
| Currency | United States dollar (USD) ($300 maximum load) |
| Validity | AC Transit |
| Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) | |
| Caltrain | |
| Golden Gate Transit | |
| Muni | |
| SamTrans | |
| VTA | |
| Website | Clippercard.com |
The Clipper card is a reloadable contactless smart card used for electronic transit fare payment 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 16 June 2010.[1]
Contents |
[edit] History
In 1993, Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) and County Connection launched a pilot program named Translink (not to be confused with the later incarnation) that allowed the use of a single fare card between the two systems.[2] The card, which used magnetic stripe technology, was envisioned to one day include all Bay Area transit agencies. However, due to technical problems, the program was abandoned two years later.[2]
Translink had a projected capital cost of $4 million when undertaken in 1993.[2] In its current form, first as TransLink and later as Clipper, implementation was expected to cost $30 million.[3] Cost estimates have since increased; the projected 25-year capital and operations costs are now estimated at $338 million.[3]
Scheduled implementation delays have added up to more than a decade. In 1998, MTC envisioned full availability of TransLink by 2001.[4] However, it was fully operational for only five transit agencies by 2009.[5] As of December 2011, Clipper is accepted by only seven transit agencies.[6]
Clipper 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 has taken over administration of distribution, customer service, and financial settlement of the program.[7]
Full implementation of Clipper has been far slower than that of similar contactless smart cards, including the Oyster card and SmarTrip, chiefly due to bureaucratic difficulties.[8]
On 16 June 2010, MTC changed the TransLink name to Clipper.[9]
In October 2010, the MTC selected 路路通 (Pinyin: Lùlùtōng)[10][11] as the official Chinese name for Clipper.
[edit] Usage
Clipper is functional for seven transit agencies:[6]
- AC Transit, including Dumbarton Express
- Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) (except AirBART)
- Caltrain
- Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District (Golden Gate Transit and Golden Gate Ferry)
- SamTrans
- San Francisco Municipal Railway (Muni)
- Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA)
Approximately 20 transit agencies have not yet joined Clipper, including ACE, County Connection, Sonoma County Transit, Tri-Delta Transit, WestCAT, and WHEELS.
Clipper cards can be remotely loaded with funds online and by telephone. Remote loading does not occur instantaneously; instead it takes up to three business days for funds to become available for use. Funds can be loaded instantaneously at Clipper service centers, Clipper add-value machines, BART ticket vending machines, and various retail outlets. Automatic loading of funds ("autoload") is also available.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ TransLink name changes to Clipper on June 16
- ^ a b c Fimrite, Peter (15 November 1995). "Coding Problems To Derail BART's Translink Program". San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1995/11/15/MN18521.DTL. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
- ^ a b Metropolitan Transportation Commission Fund Management System. Metropolitan Transportation Commission. http://www.mtc.ca.gov/funding/fms_intro.htm. Retrieved 19 June 2008.
- ^ Bowman, Catherine (15 January 1998). "Multitransit Card Proposed". San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1998/01/15/MN71750.DTL.
- ^ Gordon, Rachael (27 November 2007). "TransLink backers consider letting people pay for parking with card". San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/11/27/BA74TJGGE.DTL.
- ^ a b "Use Clipper". Metropolitan Transportation Commission. https://www.clippercard.com/ClipperWeb/useTranslink.do. Retrieved 8 December 2011.
- ^ "Cubic Supports Metropolitan Transportation Commission in Launching ClipperSM Card for San Francisco Bay Area". http://cts.cubic.com/AboutUs/News/News/tabid/434/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/17/language/en-US/Cubic-Supports-Metropolitan-Transportation-Commission-in-Launching-ClippersupSMsup-Card-for-San-Francisco-Bay-Area.aspx. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
- ^ Mara, Janis (11 June 2009). "Bay Area universal transit card stalls". Contra Costa Times: p. 1. http://www.contracostatimes.com/traffic/ci_12571572. Retrieved 22 June 2009.
- ^ Cabanatuan, Michael (10 February 2010). "Translink, step aside". San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/cityinsider/detail?entry_id=56942.
- ^ "ClipperSM Card Grows in Popularity and Reaches Out to Chinese Market". Metropolitan Transportation Commission. http://www.mtc.ca.gov/news/current_topics/10-10/clipper_chinese.htm. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
- ^ 李秀蘭 (8 October 2010). "公車儲值卡 中文名路路通" (in Chinese). World Journal. http://sf.worldjournal.com/view/full_sfnews/9835564/article-公車儲值卡-中文名路路通. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
[edit] External links
- Contactless smart cards
- Fare collection systems in the United States
- Public transportation in San Francisco, California
- Public transportation in San Mateo County, California
- Public transportation in Santa Clara County, California
- Public transportation in Alameda County, California
- Public transportation in Contra Costa County, California
- Public transportation in Marin County, California
- Public transportation in Sonoma County, California
- Transportation in Oakland, California
