Starting Nov. 30, Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) will stop accepting paper tickets as a way for fare gate entry.
“The reason we are transitioning away from paper tickets is we’re in a period of transition where we’re going to a new state of the fare gate. The first will be installed in West Oakland station in December and [be] system-wide after that. On top of that, Clipper is preparing to launch their next generation of clippers,” said BART spokesperson Chris Filippi.
Plastic and digital BART payments
While paper tickets are no longer available for riders, physical Clipper Cards are still obtainable. In addition, a $3 activation fee will not be charged if users activate the card through the app.
“It really is all about the Clipper going forward. Clipper is a system that you can use for transit agencies across the Bay Area [and] it’s really easy to set up. We’re telling folks to get a Clipper Card on their cell phones. They can do it for free and it can be funded through Apple Pay and Google Pay,” said Filippi.
Clippers are more reliable and convenient going into the future. It’s eco-friendly and usable across Bay Area transit systems like Caltrain and the San Francisco Bay Ferry.
“One of the best things about Clipper is it eliminates the need for paper tickets. Those paper tickets are old-fashioned, old outdated technologies. They can be unreliable and create extra debriefs. None of that is necessary when it comes to Clippers. It’s an all-in-one transit card, bringing us closer to one agency,” said Filippi
Fortunately, there will be no immediate cut-off for paper tickets after Nov. 30. Riders can also obtain refunds for paper tickets.
“I think it’s important for people to remember that they should be holding on to any paper tickets. We accept paper tickets with a remaining value greater than $1. You can combine multiple tickets that add up to at least a dollar, ” said Filippi.
