BART continues paper ticket phaseout at Powell Street station

Starting Tuesday, BART’s Powell Street station in San Francisco became the latest site in the transit system to phase out the sale of paper tickets.

Clipper cards are the only product available for purchase for rides on BART trains as part of a four-station pilot program that began at 19th Street in Oakland and the Embarcadero station in San Francisco last month.

The program will expand to the Downtown Berkeley station on Sept. 24, with systemwide expansion expected in 2020. If riders still have the magstripe paper tickets, they can still be used at fare gates or to use add fare machines inside the paid area of stations, according to BART. BART and Clipper officials will be on site at Powell Street Tuesday through Thursday to answer questions, help with Clipper card purchases and hand out some free Clipper cards.

BART is encouraging the use of Clipper cards since they can be used across various transit agencies in the Bay Area, including San Francisco Municipal Railway, Golden Gate Transit buses and ferries, Alameda-Contra Costa Transit and others.