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Say Goodbye to BART’s Paper Tickets at SFO Starting June 1

After a 4-station test in 2019, BART is phasing out sales of paper tickets at SFO
By - posted 5/26/2020 No Comment

Thanks to KPIX5 for letting us know that BART is no longer issuing paper tickets At SFO as of June 1 and will be Clipper only.

Starting, June 1, 2020, BART will eliminate the sales of paper tickets at San Francisco International Airport Station as it expands the number of stations where the only fare product available for purchase is the reusable, reloadable, and regionally accepted Clipper card.

While clipper cards do have many advantage over paper tickets, the one huge downside is that, unless you do autoload, there is a one-time charge of $3 for the clipper card which is non-refundable.

BART rolled out a 4-station pilot program in August and September of 2019 that phased out the sales of paper tickets at the 19th Street/Oakland, Embarcadero, Powell Street, and Downtown Berkeley Stations. Since the pilot began, BART has seen systemwide Clipper usage rise from 86% to 91%.

While paper tickets will no longer be available for purchase at San Francisco International Airport, riders will still be able to use paper tickets to enter or exit through fare gates. Riders will also be able to add enough fare to a paper ticket to exit the station using fare machines located inside the paid area.

BART is working to move toward a Clipper-only fare payment system because the region has prioritized the use of Clipper as the Bay Area’s all-in-one transit card administered by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.

Clipper has many advantages over paper tickets:

  • Clipper is tourist-friendly as it offers discounts on various transit agencies while eliminating the need to purchase and carry multiple fare products from different agencies.
  • Adult paper tickets have a 50 cents surcharge on every BART trip, which equals $1.00 per round trip. With a one-time acquisition fee of $3.00 for a Clipper card, it pays for itself in just 3 roundtrips.
  • In addition to the 50-cents per trip savings on BART, customers who use Clipper also pay less on Muni, Golden Gate Transit buses and ferries, San Francisco Bay Ferry, AC Transit, and Caltrain.
  • Clipper is reusable and long-lasting, unlike paper tickets that get worn and tattered. Clipper cards can be purchased at every BART station and at many retail outlets throughout the region.
  • Riders can set up their Clipper card account to reload automatically so they won’t have to wait in line.
  • The loaded value on the Clipper card is secure when it’s registered. If you lose the card, the balance can be replaced for a nominal fee. The tag in and out system allows Clipper card users to move through fare gates faster.
  • Paper tickets can jam our fare gates, so Clipper usage means more open fare gates, shorter lines, and less fare gate maintenance.
  • Clipper usage reduces the paper waste of tickets in the BART system.

Clipper-only FAQ.

For More information.