![]() But it hasn’t been a pain-free transition. Clipper cards can be used to pay for rides on most other local mass transit operators, and was launched on SamTrans buses in December.ĭunn said the switch will also save the agency on paper costs and speed up the ticket-checking process for conductors, who have handheld readers. “Everyone will complain during the first month or few weeks, and then it all goes away.”Ĭaltrain spokeswoman Christine Dunn said the agency is making the change because riders have been asking for a simpler way to pay and are tired of switching cards when they board other trains and buses. “It’s going to be a dramatic change for some Caltrain users, but it’s the way of the future,” said Aaron Kitashima, an occasional rider from San Francisco who writes the Complaint Department blog about Clipper and local transit. The rail line carries about 40,000 people each weekday. ![]() Near the end of last year, about 22,300 riders were using monthly or eight-ride passes and 5,300 of them were paying with Clipper, according to Caltrain. It’s a process known as “tagging” on and off.Ĭommuters with monthly passes only need to do this once at the beginning of each month, while everyone else will need to tag on and off every time they ride. Here’s how they work: Before boarding, riders hold the card to one of the blue reader machines at the station until they hear a beep, then repeat the process at the station where they exit. Riders will also need to prepay their monthly passes or eight-ride tickets onto the card either online, on the phone or at one of the stores. Passengers who don’t already have a Clipper card will have to order a free one at, call 87 or visit a local Walgreens store. Starting March 1, Caltrain will accept only the Clipper card as proof of payment for both monthly passes and eight-ride tickets, officials said Monday.Ĭasual riders can still buy paper day passes or one-way tickets at stations the old-fashioned way. Thanks/MMĬaltrain is dumping paper passes in favor of electronic cards, forcing three-fourths of its regular riders to change the way they buy boarding passes. Malone and Chu convinced the top editors this was a better approach than photographing mugs of the respondants to a poll about whether or not Measure A will pass, so we're counting on display quality art. This is for 1A, so please spend some time on it. This is the chance to produce a different look at it. Geri says this is your opportunity to shoot those obvious, story-telling photos but also to shoot some riskier stuff that is a different look at something we've all seen a thousand times and take for granted. Along the way, make some photos that speak to the issue of mass transit and how people use it as well as how many people use it. ![]() ![]() We need you to board the Caltrain train of your choice and ride it for a bit at the height of the commute. We will be centerpiecing a setup piece on the ramifications of Measure A, which, if passed, would provide more funding to extend BART into San Jose expand Caltrain service through the Valley, and expand and improve light rail and the bus service provided by the Valley Transportation Authority. MARTIN A conductor on the Caltrain during the morning commute makes change for a ticket. ![]()
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