Downtown Berkeley BART moves to Clipper-only sales

BART in Downtown Berkeley became the latest Clipper-only station Tuesday where passengers no longer have the option to purchase legacy magnetic stripe paper tickets at the station, though paper tickets can still be used as payment at fare gates.

Three other BART stations have already transitioned to Clipper-only sales, including Oakland 19th Street and San Francisco Embarcadero and Powell Street stations as part of the four-site pilot program.

BART will make staff available at the Downtown Berkeley station for the first three days of the pilot launch to answer passenger questions and hand out free Clipper cards.

A Clipper card does cost $3 initially and can be purchased at a number of stores, such as Walgreens, or at Clipper card vending machines throughout BART system.

Clipper is the Bay Area’s all-in-one transit card that can be used for payment on multiple forms of transit, including ferries and Caltrain. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission runs the Clipper card program.

BART officials said using Clipper offers riders multiple advantages, including cheaper single-ride fares on BART and Muni, and the ability to secure the card’s value with online registration.

Additionally, passengers who drive to BART’s parking lots can link the Clipper card and BART EZ Rider parking account for easy payment.

Officials said all BART stations will be transitioned to the Clipper-only system sometime in 2020.

Jerold Chinn

Jerold serves as a reporter and San Francisco Bureau Chief for SFBay covering transportation and occasionally City Hall and the Mayor's Office in San Francisco. His work on transportation has been recognized by the San Francisco Press Club. Born and raised in San Francisco, he graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in journalism. Jerold previously wrote for the San Francisco Public Press, a nonprofit, noncommercial news organization. When not reporting, you can find Jerold taking Muni to check out new places to eat in the city.