New Day Pass & Other Fare Policy Changes Coming in July
News Articles
05/01/2014
AC Transit is getting ready to put into place a new fare policy on July 1. The policy was adopted by the AC Transit Board of Directors this past December, following more than a year of development and public input. It’s designed to: speed boarding and help keep buses on schedule, provide greater convenience and value for customers, and encourage more customers to switch to Clipper.
Here are the basics of the new policy:
- Cash fares will stay the same (with new local discounts on Clipper)
- Local bus-to-bus transfers will be eliminated (meaning customers will pay full fare on each boarding or buy a Day Pass)
- The new Day Pass will give customers unlimited local rides all day
- The price of the Local Adult 31-Day Pass will be reduced
See chart showing complete fare structure and pricing.
No More Local Transfers
Customers will no longer buy a 25-cent transfer to ride a second bus. Instead, they will pay the single cash fare on each boarding or buy a Day Pass.
Introducing the Day Pass
The new Day Pass will be the best way to travel on AC Transit for customers taking more than two local buses in a day. It’s also the way to go for the no-hassle freedom of unlimited rides. The pass will be good from 3:01 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. and cost $5.00 ($2.50 for senior, youth, and disabled). There will be two ways to get the pass:
- Using Clipper: It’s so simple. Customers just keep cash value on their card and Clipper does the rest. Once fares equalling the Day Pass price have been deducted (always on the third ride), the Day Pass automatically activates. On subsequent rides, the card is tagged but no additional fare is deducted.
- On-Board: Customers deposit the full amount in the farebox and request a Day Pass from the bus operator. On subsequent rides, the pass is swiped at the farebox.
New Clipper Discounts & Added Convenience
Using Clipper will give customers the best deals under the new policy. They’ll save 10 cents on single rides (5 cents for youth/senior/disabled), the Day Pass will activate automatically, and the Local Adult 31-day Pass (available only on Clipper) will be reduced from $80 to $75.
Other Changes
- The free local-to-transbay transfer will apply only on Clipper. No paper transfers will be issued. Cash-paying customers will pay the full local or transbay fare on each bus.
- Customers who typically use a paper transfer to board a connecting agency’s bus will instead request an “Inter-Agency Voucher” from their AC Transit bus operator to show on the connecting bus.
- The 25-cent orange paper transfer ticket, now provided by some social service agencies and schools, will no longer be accepted. Customers are asked to discard the tickets or return them to the distributing agency or school.
More information about the changes will be available over the next two months–on buses, online here and via social media, and in the news.
See the chart of fares effective July 1, 2014
See Frequently Asked Questions about the changes
See the new Board-adopted fare policy in full
See the 12/11/13 staff report recommending the changes (Note: Increases for youth and senior/disabled passes were not adopted)