Credit/debit card payment on BART to be launched in late August
The first features of the Clipper 2 upgrade will be publicly available on August 28, with the release of open payment – the ability to pay with credit cards, debit cards, and Apple/Google wallets – on BART.
Major benefit for travel and entertainment, and other infrequent user
The new feature will be especially appealing to people who are infrequent transit users or are travelling to the Bay Area, since there is no need for cash or any special card to pay.
According to a 2024 BART poll, about 40% of respondents use BART less than once per month. The same data indicates that over 60% of BART riders use the service less than once a month. If you use the service less than once a month, you’re less likely to carry a special card in your wallet.
At the Clipper Executive Board meeting in July where the launch was announced, staff said that there would be signs at the airports, in addition to announcements in the media and decals on the faregates.
More fun during Transit Month
The new feature will add appeal to the Transit Month “Ride Contest” that provides prizes and digital badges to people who use transit in the month of September. This year will have “Fun by Transit” features that offer prizes and digital badges for people who use transit to get to parks, museums, music, food, and other Bay Area attractions.
Prior versions of the Ride Contest focused awards for people who took the most transit trips. The 2025 Fun by Transit feature will also appeal to people who use transit less often, and will have easier access when they use their credit/debit card to take BART.
Some temporary confusion - agencies and discounts
However, rolling out open payment on BART before the other agencies might induce some confusion in the interim before the feature is available on all 24 agencies that use Clipper. Some riders might get on BART, then try to transfer to other agencies and be confused and disappointed that their credit card isn’t working on say, Caltrain or Muni.
Also, when the open payment feature launches, transit riders who qualify for discounts, such as seniors, students, people with low income discounts, will not be able to get access to these discounts when paying with credit/debit cards. MTC staff have said that they are planning to work on such features, but have not announced any specifics as to how and when this will be provided.
Potential ballot measure advantages
Open payment on BART - and even more so with the broader rollout - has the potential to help with the regional funding measure. BART’s polling showed that Bay Area residents support transit funding increasingly as they use transit more often. Features that make transit more convenient will help people use BART more often and increase the likelihood of support at the ballot box.
Less clarity about Clipper 2 launch
Unfortunately, the announcement of the August launch also adds more delay and vagueness to the launch of the rest of the Clipper 2 system. The timeline shared at the late July board meeting showed the late August release date for the BART-only open payment feature. But the timeline does not show when the rest of the system will launch, including free/reduced price transfers and open payment on other agencies. And the overall launch period now extends through December, compared to the previous timeline shared in early June, which indicated a launch period completing in November.
The continued vagueness of the launch schedule contrasts with the increased clarity of the launch timeline for other Bay Area major projects, such as Caltrain’s electrification program and difficult signal system upgrade. Once rescue plans were in place for these troubled projects, the release schedule became increasingly granular, with visibility into the completion and risk of system components.
Once the system is released - now two years later than estimated when development started - it will be helpful to have an “after-action review” to assess opportunities to prevent such delays with future upgrades.
