![]() ![]() But for Clipper SM - the region’s all-in-one, reloadable transit fare card - the season was hot, hot hot. Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer.Bay Area residents may remember the summer of 2010 for cooler than usual weather. Gould said he was in London last year, where the city’s subway system accepted not only its Oyster smartcards but any “tap-and-go” payment card, including credit cards. “I’m a senior and I’m happy with what we have.”īut Ben Gould, a 26-year-old Berkeley resident and sustainability analyst for San Francisco International Airport, welcomes the coming changes, especially the cell phone app. “For me, it’s easy enough now,” said Steven Tsakoyias, 79, a jeweler who lives in Walnut Creek and works in San Francisco. Others shrugged it off as unnecessary, or said they’d rather see the millions spent on cleaner train stations and better security. On Friday evening, some transit riders on BART or at the Clipper customer service center at the Embarcadero Station cheered the planned overhaul. So we decided it was time to just do it.” But that would be less effective than upgrading the whole thing. “Eventually, you have to bite the bullet. “We’ve been thinking about upgrading for some time,” he said. Much like someone deciding to replace an old laptop or smartphone, the commission decided it was time to invest in a new system, Rentschler said. Adding new transit agencies to the Clipper system is difficult, and offering special fares or discounts is next to impossible. Riders often must wait three days or more to add value to their cards and several hours for bus and light-rail rides to be reflected in their balances. The existing system has been irritating to customers and transit operators alike. ![]() While the current system, launched in 2006, still works, it is inflexible, inconvenient for customers and hasn’t kept pace with technological advances and rider expectations. Transportation officials have been working on a new Clipper card, unofficially dubbed C2, for at least four years. The mobile app is scheduled to arrive in 2021, with all existing readers and other equipment replaced the same year. 26 meeting.Ĭubic will start work on the next generation of Clipper in January if awarded the contract. The full commission is expected to vote on the contract at its Sept. The MTC is set to review plans to award a contract for the new card system to Cubic, the lone bidder and current operator, at an Operations Committee meeting Friday. “It’s faster, it’s more convenient, it’s more functional, they can more easily add value or get cards for their whole family.” “What we hope they will notice is that the system works better for them,” said Randy Rentschler, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, which runs the Clipper program. And the changes will make it easier for transit agencies to offer discounts or special fares. Gone will be the multiple-day waiting period to put more cash on cards online. The new Clipper system, they said Friday, will allow riders to use their mobile phones to pay fares or add value to their cards. ![]()
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