Contactless Payment
Try Contactless Payment on AC Transit
Riders have many choices when paying their fare on AC Transit. Next time you ride, consider contactless payment! It’s more efficient and reduces bus boarding time—getting riders to their destinations faster.
Contactless payment options include Clipper, now also available on your phone, and purchasing fare with mobile apps using AC Transit’s mobile payment platform.
If you have questions about refunds or experience technical issues while purchasing mobile fare, please contact Token Transit at help@tokentransit.com.
Now, AC Transit has introduced even more contactless choices for riders.
Pay AC Transit bus fares with your favorite trip planning apps
AC Transit launched contactless payment on the AC Transit Official app and Token Transit in October 2020 to reduce touchpoints due to COVID-19 and speed bus boarding. Riders can also purchase AC Transit fares on mobile apps like Transit app, Moovit, and Google Maps.
Get Youth and Senior/Disabled fares for eligible riders
Riders eligible for Youth and Senior/Disabled fares can now purchase discount fares and passes on AC Transit’s mobile payment platform using any of the apps listed above.
We offer fare capping
If you don’t have funds to pay for a pass up front or aren’t sure if you’ll use the full value of a prepaid pass, we offer fare capping. Convert your single rides into passes using AC Transit’s mobile payment platform. Once you’ve paid the equivalent of a higher value pass, we will cap your fare, so you don’t pay more and add the pass to your account. Learn how it works in the FAQ section below.
Add funds and pay fare with Clipper mobile app
Riders can now pay with Clipper on their mobile devices. Try the Clipper app to manage your account and add a Clipper Card to your mobile wallet to pay fares. Tap your phone on the Clipper reader to pay.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: What is fare capping?
A: With fare capping, you don’t have to prepay for passes, but can still achieve these passes and tap into the benefits by paying as you go, one fare at a time.
Fare capping guarantees that riders will not pay more than the lowest fare for any period of travel. As you purchase and activate fares, we automatically check to see if you’ve reached a fare capping threshold. Once the threshold is reached for a Day Pass, 7-day Pass, 31-day Pass, 31-day Transbay Pass, or Monthly Pass, the activated fare instantly gets upgraded to that pass and a refund is issued, if needed. Any combination of consecutive trips can translate into upgraded passes.
Fare capping on AC Transit’s mobile payment platform activations are calculated on a rolling basis. This means that a fare cap will apply for all trips taken within a daily, weekly, or monthly period from the first time you pay until you reach the cap.
See the table below for an example of daily, weekly, and monthly fare-capping amounts on AC Transit's Mobile Payment Platform.
| Free Capping Period | Adult Fare Capping Threshold |
| Daily cap (Day Pass) | $5 |
| Weekly cap (7-day Pass) | $22.50 |
| Monthly cap (31-day Pass) | $81.00 |
Learn more about fares.
Q: How does fare capping on the Monthly Pass work?
A: Fare capping on the Monthly Pass is only available to riders eligible for Senior/Disabled fares. This pass is not available to purchase on AC Transit’s mobile payment platform, but fare capping will automatically upgrade riders to this pass. Starting at the beginning of the month, activations on mobile ticketing will start to count toward the $34 Monthly Pass. Once a rider has spent the equivalent of the pass, they will be upgraded to a Monthly Pass and it will be valid until the end of the month.
Fare capping on Adult or Youth fares will accumulate to a 31-day Pass during any consecutive 31-day period. This also applies to the 31-day Transbay Pass when reaching $216.
Q: Is fare capping available on multiple apps?
A: Riders can use any app that supports AC Transit’s mobile payment platform to pay their fares, but fare capping is not transferrable between apps. If you’d like to use fare capping, purchase all your fares using one app.
Q: Can I combine Clipper and mobile payments to get the benefit of fare capping?
A: Fare capping is not transferable between Clipper and AC Transit’s mobile payment platform. If you’d like to use fare capping, use a mobile app that supports AC Transit mobile ticketing, or choose Clipper, where you can use fare capping for Day Passes. Keep in mind that these payment types cannot be combined for fare capping.
Q: How can I track my progress to see if I am eligible for an upgrade?
A: Add your mobile phone number and email address to the app you are using to pay your fares. When you purchase fare, are upgraded, or are refunded, you will receive a text message and email receipt. Each purchase and refund will also show up as individual charges and credits on your bank statement.
Q: I was just upgraded to a 7-day Pass and it only has 2 days left on it. Why is that?
A: As you purchase and activate fares, we automatically check to see if you’ve reached a fare capping threshold. We start counting from the first fare you purchase and activate.
For example, it might take you 5 days to earn the 7-day Pass using a combination of Day Passes and single ride activations, and once that threshold is reached for a pass upgrade, that pass is activated in your account with 2 days remaining, equaling a 7-day Pass.
Additional questions or feedback about fare capping on AC Transit’s mobile payment platform can be submitted here.