Did you know that if you're an AC Transit passenger with a Regional Transit Connection discount card (RTC), your card may already be upgraded with TransLink, the Bay Area's smart card for paying transit fares?  

Over the past several months, AC Transit has been replacing RTC cards that have expired with cards that are enabled with TransLink features. You'll know your card is TransLink-enabled if it looks like the one pictured here, with a gold-colored microchip and a TransLink logo on the front to the left of your photo.

The RTC TransLink card was created to provide seniors and other passengers who qualify for an RTC card with the same discounts they currently enjoy, along with the convenience of TransLink. Accepted on AC Transit, Dumbarton Express, and Golden Gate Transit and Ferry now, TransLink will eventually be accepted on all Bay Area transit systems. The RTC TransLink card is an easy, convenient way to pay your transit fare!

Here are some important things to know about your RTC TransLink card:

1.  How is the RTC TransLink card different from my old RTC card?

The big difference between your old RTC card and your new RTC TransLink card is that the RTC TransLink card is an actual fare instrument you can use to pay your fare when you board the bus. Your old RTC card functioned only as a "flash pass" with a monthly sticker or as proof of eligibility for a discount cash fare. With the TransLink feature of your new card, you can electronically "load" value - a monthly discount pass and/or cash (called e-cash) - right onto your card. Keep reading below for more details.

2.  How do I start using my RTC TransLink card?

Once you've determined that your card is indeed an RTC TransLink card, you can begin using it to pay your fare. However, we encourage all RTC TransLink cardholders to first register their card. If your card has been registered and is lost or stolen, the card will be replaced with the balance restored. To register your RTC TransLink card, visit TransLink and click on "Register Your Card."  Or, call 877-878-8883 to register it by phone. Remember to have your card's serial number handy. You can find the serial number on the back of the card.

3.  How do I load value on my card?

You can add value at any of the many TransLink vendors throughout the East Bay and San Francisco, at AC Transit's two ticket offices, online, by phone, or at a TransLink Add Value Machine (AVM). You can also set up TransLink's secure Autoload feature, which allows funds from your bank account or credit card to be automatically transferred to your card when the balance on your card is low, or before your monthly discounted pass expires. Please note:  If you use your card's TransLink features, please be sure to remove all traces of the monthly sticker from the card so that it will work correctly when adding value at a TransLink Add Value Machine, or at a participating retail location.

4.   How do I use my RTC TransLink card on the bus?

Simply tag your card to the TransLink logo on the card reader just inside the door instead of showing the driver your card. Each time you tag, the TransLink card either validates that you have a current monthly pass or deducts the correct e-cash fare, including discounts and transfers. For more detailed information on how to use the TransLink features of your card, click here. 

5.  How do I use my RTC TransLink card on a Transbay bus?

If you have a monthly pass loaded on your card, be sure to also have sufficient e-cash on your card to cover the $1 upgrade to the Transbay fare. The upgrade fare will be deducted automatically when you tag your card. You will not be able to deposit cash in the farebox or dunk a Youth/Senior/Disabled 10-ride ticket to cover the $1.

If you have only e-cash on your card, the full $2.00 fare will be deducted.

6.  What if I do not want to use the TransLink features of my card?

You may continue using your card as a flash pass or proof of eligibility by showing your bus driver the card instead of tagging it on the TransLink card reader. Just as today, you'll need to either have a valid monthly RTC sticker on the front of your card, or pay the discount cash fare with exact change.

7.  If I do not have an RTC TransLink card, how can I get one?

If your card does not have the gold-colored chip and TransLink logo, it is not TransLink-enabled. You can wait until your card expires, because your replacement card will be an RTC TransLink card. Or, you can exchange it now - for free- for an RTC TransLink card. Just do the following:

• Visit AC Transit's ticket office at 1600 Franklin Street in Oakland during office hours (Monday - Friday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. except holidays; 510-891-4706) and complete a card exchange form.
  
  
• Turn in your old RTC card and pick up your new one when you are contacted, within about two weeks from your initial visit. 
  
  
• At the same time or later, load a discounted monthly pass and/or e-cash on your new card. (And remember, you can still use your card as a flash pass, with a valid monthly sticker, or as proof of eligibility for a discounted cash fare.)

Questions?

For questions about TransLink, you can contact the TransLink Customer Service Center by visiting TransLink and clicking on "Customer Support." Or contact them by phone at 877-878-8883 (Monday - Friday 6 a.m. - 8 p.m.; Saturday/Sunday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.).  For hearing-impaired riders, there is also a TDD number on the back of the card (800-735-2929).

For more details about the RTC discount program and eligibility criteria, click here.