Major San Francisco Transit Operator BART to Launch Open-Loop Payments Tomorrow following Delays
San Francisco public transit officials promise the long-awaited launch of open-loop payments–confined for now to one transit operator, metro-rail provider BART–will happen tomorrow after substantial delays. The project is part of a $400 million-plus next-generation Clipper project that will soon enter its seventh year.
An announcement today by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission planning agency, MTC, promised that nearly two dozen other Bay Area transit agencies that take the closed-loop Clipper card will also accept credit and debit cards soon. MTC added that “once the next generation of Clipper is rolled out Bay Area-wide, ‘Tap and Ride’ will include all discounted fares and transfers between transit services.”
Fee Waiver Helps Virtual Clipper Card Soar in San Francisco, though Growth Comes with Added Costs
San Francisco Bay Area transit operators have seen strong growth in the number of virtual closed-loop Clipper cards issued and the share of active users tapping these cards with Apple Pay and Google Wallet over the past 18 months or so, Mobility Payments has learned.
Many credit the decision by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, or MTC, to waive the $3 sign-up fee
San Francisco Plans to Launch Open-Loop Payments Next Year; Will Maintain Strong Closed-Loop Clipper Card
San Francisco Bay Area transit officials are standing by their estimate for a launch of open-loop payments in 2024, as part of their account-based ticketing rollout, featuring a next-generation closed-loop Clipper card.
Insight: Apple Pay Launch of Virtual Closed-Loop Virtual Clipper Card Follows Emerging Trend
Although the trend for transit agencies to support open-loop fare payments, including with Apple Pay, Google Pay and other Pays wallets, has continued unabated–even accelerated–during the pandemic, another trend is taking shape: That of agencies adding virtual versions of their closed-loop fare cards into the Pays wallets. The latest example is support for Apple Pay...
Cubic Strikes Deal with Google to Enable Closed-Loop Transit Payments in Google Pay
In a move that could enable more large transit agencies to offer NFC mobile payments with their closed-loop transit cards, U.S.-based Cubic Transportation Systems has signed an agreement with Google to integrate contactless transit cards with Google Pay. Among the agencies planning to support the service are those serving Google’s home base in Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York.