New 31-day AC Transit pass offer regular bus riders familiar economy and convenience plus greater budget flexibility

Press Releases
07/02/2001

(Oakland, CA) Flexibility and convenience are hallmarks of the new 31-Day Pass introduced this month by AC Transit to replace four of the familiar Monthly Passes formerly used by East Bay bus riders. The new 31-day bus pass is for youth and adults who regularly ride AC Transit’s local and transbay buses. With this new pass, each individual rider decides exactly when to begin the 31-day period of use. It allows regular riders – or their parents or guardians -to buy a pass whenever it’s convenient. The first of a calendar month no longer dictates pass purchase or use, which now can begin on any day mid-month. To activate this pass, the user simply boards a bus and inserts it for the first time in an electronic card reader. The electronic device prints the dates for “first use” and “expires” right onto the card. For 31 consecutive days thereafter, the reader – not the bus driver – verifies the validity of the pass. These passes are unchanged in price: $27 for youth (5 to 17) and $49 for adults (18 to 64) using local bus service; $80 for adult using basic transbay service; $90 for the long-distance transbay user. Riders 65 and over, and those with certified disabilities, continue to use their monthly pass – actually a sticker affixed to a photo ID card – which remains unchanged in format, usage and $13 price. Based on familiar magnetic-strip technology, the new pass has a distinctive appearance unlike other Bay Area fare media (such as the inter-system “BART Plus” ticket). As with all magnetic-strip media, AC Transit’s new pass should be protected from magnets, moisture, bending or folding. Consumer information introducing the pass includes instructions on how users who encounter a problem can get assistance or a refund. The new 31-day bus pass is now on sale at all AC Transit retail outlets throughout the East Bay and at the Transbay Transit Terminal in downtown San Francisco. For the location of a nearby vendor, call AC Transit’s telephone information center (dial 817-1717, then speed dial 1, 1, 1, 1) or visit the Transitinfo Web site at http://www.transitinfo.org/AC/vendors.html.