Goodbye to BART’s Paper Tickets
BART has successfully transitioned all stations to offer Clipper as the only fare product available for purchase. BART began eliminating the sales of paper tickets in August of 2019 when a 4-station pilot program was launched.
The conversion was accelerated during the pandemic with one or more stations transitioned each week throughout 2020. Systemwide conversion was fully completed the week of December 7th.
This effort is part of BART’s 15-Step Plan to welcome riders back to a more contactless experience in the era of COVID-19.
Still have paper tickets? You can get a refund for any paper tickets by taking it to a station agent, but only if the remaining value is greater than $1.00.
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Touchless Experience
BART is working to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Using Clipper helps this effort by allowing riders to avoid direct contact with fare gates, as the card only needs to be held over the fare gate card reader without touching. Riders can further protect themselves from contact with fare machines by loading funds onto their Clipper card online, allowing up to one day for the balance to post. For registered users, the Autoload feature will automatically replenish their Clipper balance.
While paper tickets will no longer be available for purchase at these stations, riders are still be able to use paper tickets to enter or exit through fare gates. Riders are also able to add enough fare to a paper ticket to exit the station using add fare machines located inside the paid area.
Paper ticket refunds
Customers can claim a refund for a paper ticket with a remaining value greater than $1.00. A Station Agent will help process a ticket refund request. Tickets can also be mailed along with the reason for the refund request to: Refunds, BART Treasury Department, P.O. Box 12688, Oakland, CA 94604-2688. BART’s Treasury Department will then process the refund. For more information, call BART Treasury at (510) 464-6841.
See answers to some of the frequently asked questions (FAQ) and the transition to Clipper-only sales here.
