 |
 |
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
- Overview
- History and future of TransLink
- Where you can use TransLink today
- Glossary of TransLink terms
- Contact information
Overview
TransLink lets you pay transit fares on all participating Bay Area transit systems using just one reloadable smart card. The computer chip embedded in the TransLink card keeps track of your card's value and automatically deducts the correct fare for your trip!
TransLink is the future of transit. When you switch to a TransLink card, there's no more fumbling for change, losing paper transfers, or juggling passes or tickets from one or more transit agencies. A TransLink card cannot be de-magnetized or de-magnetize other cards. It works with employee transit benefit programs such as Commuter Check® and WageWorks®. And when you take advantage of the free TransLink card registration service, your balance can be restored in the event your card is ever lost or stolen.
Once you get your TransLink card, you can add fare value online, over the phone, at participating retailers in your neighborhood, at a handy Add Value Machine, and at transit operator ticket offices.
For the ultimate in convenience, you can even set up a recurring automatic transfer from your checking/debit or credit card account (and if you receive your bus passes or tickets by mail, you can ask your employer to load these directly to your TransLink card). Once you set up Autoload, you'll never again have to wait in line to buy transit tickets or run to the store to buy a pass. In fact, you'll never have to think about transit fares again!
Using a TransLink card is easy. When you board, simply "tag" your card by touching it to the logo on the TransLink card reader. Since it's a smart card, it recognizes the difference between a regular fare and a transfer, and automatically deducts the correct fare each time.
You can store a variety of fare types on the card - e.g., an Adult 31-day pass (local and transbay), electronic cash (called "e-cash"), or both. TransLink instantly gives you the deepest discount possible, based on what vehicle you ride and types of value you loaded on your card.
The History and Future of TransLink
In 1999, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) - the transportation planning, coordinating and financing agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area - hired Motorola Inc. to serve as the prime contractor to design, build, operate and maintain the TransLink system. The MTC is using federal, state, regional and local funds to support this program.
TransLink launched a pilot program in 2002 to test customer acceptance of TransLink services and systems and to validate its performance in each of the unique operating environments of six participating agencies. At its height, the pilot program had recruited approximately 3,000 cardholders to participate in the test. The completion of the pilot program was an important milestone in preparation for the TransLink launch. In October 2003, the Bay Area's transit agencies received approval from their respective boards to execute the TransLink Interagency Participation Agreement and begin full implementation of the program. Since that time, The MTC and these agencies have joined together to form the TransLink Consortium, working on finalizing the system design and the operating policies that will govern the project.
You can use your TransLink card now on all AC Transit buses and all Golden Gate Transit and Ferry routes – and eventually on all Bay Area transit systems. TransLink will be expanded to the other transit agencies on the following timetable:
2007: AC Transit and Golden Gate Transit and Ferry
2008: BART, Caltrain, Muni
2009: SamTrans and Santa Clara VTA
2009 - 2010: Alameda/Oakland Ferry, American Canyon Transit, Benicia Breeze, Cloverdale Transit, County Connection, Dixon Transit, Fairfield-Suisun Transit, Healdsburg In-City Transit, Petaluma Transit, Santa Rosa CityBus, Sonoma County Transit, Tri Delta Transit, Union City Transit, Vacaville City Coach, Vallejo Transit, VINE (Napa County), WestCAT, WHEELS, Yountville Shuttle
Where You Can Use TransLink Today
Right now you can use TransLink on AC Transit* and the Dumbarton Express and Golden Gate Transit and Ferry.
* TransLink cannot be used on Paratransit.
Glossary of TransLink Terms
31-day pass: If you use the bus frequently (e.g. for commuting), you can save money by loading a local or transbay 31-day pass (unlimited rides, including transfers, for 31-days) on your TransLink card.
add value: Add e-cash, a transit pass, or both, in person at an AC Transit ticket office, Add Value Machine or participating retailer, online, over the phone, by mail - or automatically using Autoload.
Add Value Machine: The self-serve machines located in transit stations where customers can add e-cash or load transit passes onto their TransLink cards.
agency: A transit system, e.g. AC Transit, Golden Gate Transit, BART, Muni, etc.
Autoload: The process by which a customer sets up a TransLink card to automatically add value and/or load transit passes on an ongoing basis. The customer authorizes payment through a credit card charge or a debit from a checking account, and the fare value is loaded automatically whenever a card's e-cash balance drops below a designated amount or when a transit pass expires.
balance: The cash or remaining transit pass value currently on a TransLink card.
card reader: The device located at the front of a transit vehicle or at the entry to a transit station that records a transit ride taken by a customer. When a rider tags a card, the card reader emits audible and visual signals indicating the status of the transaction. The card reader also displays the transit fare paid and the balance remaining on a TransLink card.
card registration: Cardholders provide contact information to the TransLink Customer Service Center so that, if the card is lost or stolen, its balance can be replaced, as long as the card has been registered. TransLink cards can be registered at the time of purchase or any time after that. Registration is free of charge.
cardholder: The legal user of the TransLink card.
e-cash (electronic cash): Cash added to a TransLink card functions exactly like cash on transit. E-cash is accepted by all participating transit agencies. E-cash works just like cash on transit. You simply load e-cash value and, each time you use the card, the correct fare or transfer fee is deducted from your e-cash balance. E-cash does not expire.
E-cash is probably the best type of value for you if you currently pay your fare with cash or a 10-ride ticket. You can manually load e-cash whenever you need it, or set up Autoload to reload it automatically when it runs low.
smart card: A smart card contains a small chip that includes a microprocessor and memory. Its encryption technique secures data, such as the stored TransLink value on the card, and a processor allows the card's technology to be programmed for different applications.
tag: The action of touching a TransLink card to the sensor of the TransLink card reader (marked with the TransLink logo).
TransLink: The Bay Area's smart card transit fare payment system.
TransLink Customer Service Center: Personnel dedicated to answering customer questions and resolving issues or concerns about TransLink.
Contact information
Phone: 877-878-8883 (toll-free)
Fax: 925-686-8221
TTY/TDD: 800-735-2929 or 711
Web: www.translink.org
Email: custserv@translink.org
Mail: P.O. Box 318, Concord, CA 94522-0318