Outreach Events Scheduled For Youth Clipper® Cards

OAKLAND, Calif., Dec. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Two key Bay Area transit operators are making an end-of-year push to transition more youths from paper tickets and passes to the reloadable Clipper® transit fare card. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) is teaming up with BART and SamTrans to host a series of Clipper® sign-up events for youths at BART stations and retail malls in advance of a looming phase-out of paper tickets and passes. Events will serve all Clipper® youth riders, including those who ride AC Transit and need an AC Transit photo ID card. At the same time, MTC this month is seeking public comment on a range of topics related to the availability, pricing and use of the Clipper® card (see below for more information).

After December 31, 2011, the majority of paper SamTrans monthly passes, including youth passes, will be discontinued (the exception is the SamTrans Needy Family youth pass). Meanwhile, BART's discounted paper youth ticket will no longer be widely available for purchase. The most convenient way for youth riders to continue receiving transit discounts is by getting a Clipper® card.

Introduced by MTC in June of 2010, the all-in-one reloadable Clipper® transit card is currently accepted on BART, SamTrans, AC Transit, San Francisco Muni, Caltrain, Golden Gate Transit and Ferry, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, and Dumbarton Express.

Clipper® is making it more convenient for youths to apply for a card by holding 15 youth outreach events at BART stations and retail malls over the next month, including:

To apply for a card, youths or a parent or guardian must come in person and bring any one of the following:

• Birth Certificate
• State-Issued Driver's License or Identification Card
• Passport
• San Francisco City ID Card
• Matricula Consular/Consular Identification
• Alien Registration/Permanent Resident Card

To expedite the process, download and fill out an application form at www.clippercard.com/discount before coming to an event (mailed in applications are not accepted).  Youths who purchase the AC Transit youth 31-day pass must come in person to have their photo taken for an AC Transit-issued Clipper® card.

Youths who sign up for Clipper® at the outreach events will have to wait up to a couple of weeks for their card to arrive in the mail. Youths in a hurry to get a Clipper® card can pick one up at several transit agency ticket offices or at the Clipper® kiosk at San Francisco's Embarcadero BART/Muni station and at the Bay Crossings Store in the San Francisco Ferry Building. For a comprehensive list of Clipper® locations that accept applications for youth cards, visit clippercard.com/discount or call 877.878.8883.

Public Invited to Comment on Clipper® Card Program

As Bay Area transit agencies change their paper discount tickets and passes to be available only on the Clipper® transit fare card, MTC wants to know transit riders' opinions about various features of the Clipper® transit fare payment system.

MTC is working to make sure that transit riders who are minorities or low-income or have limited English proficiency are not negatively affected by the move of tickets and passes to Clipper®-only availability. MTC has produced a report about how the agency is working to provide equitable access for these individuals; the report is available at www.mtc.ca.gov/get_involved/rights/clipper.htm. MTC would like to hear from transit riders regarding the following issues:

• Are there enough Clipper® retail locations that are convenient for you?
• Has there been enough outreach to let you know about Clipper® and how to get a card?
• How convenient is it for youths and seniors to obtain Clipper® cards?
• Would a one-time $3 fee for getting a Clipper® card prevent you from using Clipper®?

Email written comments to [email protected], or mail them to MTC Public Information, 101 Eighth Street, Oakland, CA 94607-4700, fax: 510.817.5848 by December 22, 2011.

MTC manages the Clipper® program for San Francisco Bay Area transit agencies. Introduced by MTC in June of 2010 with six charter transit systems, the Clipper® program has grown rapidly as more transit agencies have joined and as participating transit operators have phased out paper fare media and transition to the Clipper® card. The number of weekday transit boardings made with Clipper® now regularly tops  600,000, accounting for more than a third of all daily transit trips in the region.  Almost one million Clipper® cards are now active in the Bay Area.

MTC is the transportation planning, financing and coordinating agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area.

For more information: Clipper Customer Service Center - 1.877.878.8883

ClipperCard.Com • Facebook.com/BayAreaClipper • Twitter.com/BayAreaClipper

SOURCE Metropolitan Transportation Commission