Transit agencies give riders a break with September discounts

Several Bay Area transit agencies in September will offer discounted fares or free rides as a way to welcome passengers back to public transit.

BART is offering 50 percent Clipper card fare discounts for the entire month of September, which is designed to help students and employees returning to in-person settings. Reduced fares will be applied on top of other Clipper discount programs for youth, seniors and persons with disabilities, Clipper Start and the Gator Pass.

Discounts will be applied directly at fare gates. While rates posted on fare machines will not be changed to reflect the September reductions, BART’s online trip planner and fare calculator have already been updated with the discount rates for the entire month of September.

Caltrain is also offering half-off Clipper and machine-ticketed rides (excluding GoPass) for the entire month of September. Additionally, Caltrain increased service Monday and now offers 104 trains each weekday and return of Baby Bullet express trains.

AC Transit is thanking its passengers for sticking with them through the pandemic by offering free rides on Fridays during the month of September. Fare boxes, Clipper card readers and ticket vending machines at the Tempo Line 1T platform will be covered on each Friday.

Several transit systems in Contra Costa County are offering free rides every day for the entire month of September, including County Connection, Tri Delta Transit and WestCAT.

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, which oversees Muni, is notably not participating in the September discount initiative. However, they did let passengers ride cable cars free of charge throughout August, and youth aged 18 and under can already ride Muni without paying fare.

Agencies are reminding passengers that face masks are still required on all transit systems, per federal mandate. Officials with the U.S. Transportation Security Administration recently announced that the mandate will extend to Jan. 18, 2022.

In The City, the San Francisco Transit Riders are celebrating September as “Transit Month.” The advocacy group is asking public transit riders to use social media to log their transit rides using the hashtag #TransitRideContest. Each ride logged is an entry into a raffle where participants can win prizes in various categories.

To kick off Transit Month, the group will be out in various parts of The City Wednesday to hand out free swag.

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.