Clipper is the commuter card used for commuting around the San Francisco Bay Area. Similar to the Oyster Card in London or the Pasmo Card in Tokyo, the Clipper Card can be used to electronically pay for your fare and obtain transfers good for connecting services. Many transit agencies even give generous discounts and transfer benefits when using Clipper, with some giving up to 20% off regular fares. Some agencies even encode monthly passes on the card, allowing frequent riders to use the card to travel around with less hassle. And since it is an integrated system, riders can use Clipper to travel by bus, ferry, or train throughout the region, from Santa Rosa to San Jose.
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What Can Be Added on a Clipper Card
Three different kinds of features can be added onto a Clipper card: transit cash, monthly passes, and parking cash.
- Transit cash is an electronic cash value used to ride transit. Accepted at all agencies, transit cash allows you to board buses, trains, and ferries with a set or discounted fee. BART's High-Valued Tickets (the blue card) is also treated as transit cash because fares are deducted once you exit the system.
- Monthly passes are passes with a pre-determined cost that allow riders to use transit unlimited number of times without reducing a user's transit cash value. Once a monthly pass is added onto a Clipper card, riders just have to swipe their cards onto a machine and the card reader will show how much longer the current pass is valid.
- Parking cash is, similar to transit cash, an electronic cash value used to pay for parking. Independent of transit cash, parking cash is being tested at a few garages within San Francisco as a pilot program to determine its ability to pay for parking electronically (similar to FasTrak). More details here
Types of Clipper Card
Multiple types of Clipper card are available for the riding public to use.
Note: * - Some transit operators may require you to show valid identification as proof of age.
Note: * - Some transit operators may require you to show valid identification as proof of age.
Regular Clipper Card (Blue)
Regional Transit Connection Disabled Card (White, with Photo ID)
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Senior Clipper Card (White)
Limited-Use Clipper Card
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Youth Clipper Card (Blue)
Special Edition Clipper Card
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How to Use Clipper
Using Clipper is as simple as this:
A few agencies, like San Francisco Muni, Caltrain, and the Santa Clara VTA, may conduct random fare checks on board their vehicles or upon getting off a vehicle. If it happens, bring your Clipper card to a handheld reader and the fare inspector will verify if you have paid your fare or a valid transfer or pass. If your card receives an error message, you may run the risk of paying a hefty fine for failing to pay the proper fare. If you find a malfunctioning Clipper fare machine (e.g. it shows an "Out of Service" or "DC Not Responding" message), notify an operator immediately. Should it happen with a transit agency that has a "tap in, tap out" system, call the Clipper hotline, explain what happened, and allow a representative to adjust the fare for you so that you won't pay the highest possible fare. |
Transit Agencies That Accept Clipper
Since its inception in the mid-2000s as Translink, Clipper is now accepted in nearly twenty different agencies throughout the region.
Note: if you want to view the table below on your smartphone, turn it to landscape mode.
Note: if you want to view the table below on your smartphone, turn it to landscape mode.
Transit Agency |
Fare Collection Method |
Available Discounts and Credits |
AC Transit (also includes Dumbarton Express) |
Tap once |
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BART |
Tap in, tap out |
None |
Caltrain |
Tap in, tap out |
Up to $0.55 off regular fares |
County Connection |
Tap once |
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FAST (Fairfield) |
Tap once |
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Golden Gate Ferry |
Tap once+ |
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Golden Gate Transit |
Tap in, tap out |
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Marin Transit |
Tap in, tap out |
Up to 10% off regular fares |
Petaluma Transit |
Tap once |
Transfer credits available from Golden Gate Transit and Sonoma County Transit buses |
SamTrans |
Tap once |
Transfer credits available from various agencies, provided that you have a monthly pass enabled in the card (AC Transit, Caltrain, Dumbarton Express, and VTA) |
San Francisco Bay Ferry |
Tap in, tap out+ |
None |
San Francisco Muni |
Tap once |
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Santa Clara VTA |
Tap once |
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Santa Rosa City Bus |
Tap once |
Free transfers available from Golden Gate Transit and Sonoma County Transit |
Soltrans (Vallejo) |
Tap once |
Transfer credits available from AC Transit, FAST, Golden Gate, and WestCAT buses |
Sonoma County Transit |
Tap in, tap out |
Free transfers available from Golden Gate Transit and Sonoma County Transit for one-zone (local) fare |
Tri-Delta Transit |
Tap once |
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Vacaville City Coach |
Tap once |
Transfer credit available from FAST buses |
VINE (Napa County) |
Tap once+ |
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WestCAT |
Tap once |
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Wheels (Livermore) |
Tap once |
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Notes:
- On Golden Gate Ferry, passengers have to tap their card once, based on where they board:
- From San Francisco: tap on appropriate machine
- From Sausalito: tap upon exit in San Francisco
- From Larkspur: tap before boarding
- With San Francisco Bay Ferry, a ferry employee will help you tap your card using a handheld card reader when you board or disembark at Pier 41 in San Francisco.
- Clipper is also accepted on Napa VINE's subsidiaries (the driver will have a handheld Clipper card reader to deduct the appropriate fare), including:
- American Canyon Transit
- St. Helena Shuttle
- Calistoga Shuttle
For Agencies That Do Not Accept Clipper
Passengers continuing to the following agencies will require a paper transfer or separate cash fare to continue traveling:
- Altamont Commuter Express
- Amtrak California
- Highway 17 Express
- Lake County Transit
- Mendocino Transit Authority
- Modesto Area Express
- Monterey-Salinas Transit
- Rio Vista Delta Breeze
- San Benito Transit
- San Joaquin Regional Transit District (RTD)
- Union City Transit
- Yolobus
Where is Clipper Not an Acceptable Payment Method?
Certain services do not accept Clipper as a payment method (along with their substitutes in parenthesis), including:
- Chariot (mobile app)
- Golden Gate Ferry services to AT&T Park (e-tickets)
- Marin Transit's Muir Woods Shuttle (cash or valid pass)
- Paratransit services (cash or discounted tickets)
- San Francisco Bay Ferry services to AT&T Park (e-tickets)
- Santa Clara VTA Flex (mobile app)
Where to Get Your Clipper Card
You can get Clipper cards at the following locations:
Adult Clipper Card:
Note: a surcharge of $3 applies when buying a new adult Clipper card. If purchasing from a ticket vending machine, a minimum amount is required prior to use. Should you setup Autoload, Clipper will waive the $3 surcharge.
Adult Clipper Card:
- Clipper Customer Service Centers:
- Embarcadero BART/Muni Metro
- Bay Crossings, Ferry Building (San Francisco)
- My Transit Plus stores:
- Embarcadero BART/Muni Metro
- Montgomery BART/Muni Metro
- Powell BART/Muni Metro
- Bay Fair BART
- San Francisco Muni ticket outlets:
- Powell & Market (near the cable car turnaround)
- Geary & Presidio
- Muni Metro ticket vending machines in San Francisco
- Golden Gate Ferry ticket vending machines in San Francisco and Larkspur
- San Francisco International Airport (multiple locations)
- Target Express (Sansome & Bush in San Francisco)
- Walgreens stores
- Whole Foods stores
- Headquarters of participating transit agencies
- Santa Clara VTA Downtown Service Center (W Santa Clara Street between First and Market)
- Get Clipper online here
Note: a surcharge of $3 applies when buying a new adult Clipper card. If purchasing from a ticket vending machine, a minimum amount is required prior to use. Should you setup Autoload, Clipper will waive the $3 surcharge.
For Youth and Senior Clipper Cards:
Download the appropriate form and send it, along with your proof of age and any identification, to the address listed on the form.
For a Regional Transit Connection Clipper Card (handicapped only):
You will need to appear in person at your home transit agency and bring related medical documentation for agency representatives to review and give you a RTC Clipper Card (it will look like a Photo ID). Once approved, call the Clipper customer service hotline (1-877-878-8883) so that a customer service representative will help you setup an online account.
Download the appropriate form and send it, along with your proof of age and any identification, to the address listed on the form.
For a Regional Transit Connection Clipper Card (handicapped only):
You will need to appear in person at your home transit agency and bring related medical documentation for agency representatives to review and give you a RTC Clipper Card (it will look like a Photo ID). Once approved, call the Clipper customer service hotline (1-877-878-8883) so that a customer service representative will help you setup an online account.
Where to Reload Your Clipper Card
You can reload your Clipper card at the following locations wherein the reload amount will be added to your card immediately:
At the following locations, you have a reload limit of $300 per transaction, and there are fixed reload amounts using debit or credit cards (set at $20, $50, $100, $200, and $300):
More reload locations here
- Clipper Customer Service Centers
- My Transit Plus stores
- Ticket vending machines with the following agencies (all stations):
- BART
- Caltrain
- Golden Gate Ferry
- Muni Metro
- VTA Light Rail
- Walgreens stores
- Whole Foods stores
- Multiple independent retailers
- Headquarters of participating transit agencies
- San Francisco Muni ticket outlets (Powell and Presidio)
- Santa Clara VTA Downtown Service Center
At the following locations, you have a reload limit of $300 per transaction, and there are fixed reload amounts using debit or credit cards (set at $20, $50, $100, $200, and $300):
- Temporary Transbay Terminal
- San Rafael Transit Center
- Golden Gate Transit Headquarters, San Rafael
- Golden Gate Bridge Toll Plaza
- Golden Gate Transit Santa Rosa Terminal
More reload locations here
Online
You can reload your card online, using a credit or debit card. You can also setup Autoload, a feature wherein you set the reload amount on your transit cash, and when your e-cash balance falls below $10, Clipper will automatically reload that preset value for you. Take note, though: it takes between 3 and 5 business days to process online transactions.
You can reload your card online, using a credit or debit card. You can also setup Autoload, a feature wherein you set the reload amount on your transit cash, and when your e-cash balance falls below $10, Clipper will automatically reload that preset value for you. Take note, though: it takes between 3 and 5 business days to process online transactions.