Marin Transit prepares for Clipper transfer discount program

Marin Transit is gearing up for a new era of the Clipper fare system that aims to make fares and payments more simple and equitable.

An integral part of the upgrade, dubbed Clipper 2.0, is a pilot program that rewards card users with a big discount on regional transfers from one transit service to another.

Marin Transit already has an agreement with Golden Gate Transit and Golden Gate Ferry where riders get a free transfer to Marin Transit. Also, riders coming from Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit onto Marin Transit get a $1.50 discount. Under the pilot program, that ride would be free.

“This is exciting for the region,” Asher Butnik, a planner at Marin Transit, said at the agency’s board meeting on Sept. 9. “I think it’s going to be really good for the riders to have that predictability knowing that they’re going to get a free local ride any time they take a regional operator.”

The discount is equal to the largest local fare in the Bay Area. Right now, that’s a $2.50 price cut. The amount might change if a local agency raises its fare rate above that point.

The decrease equates to a fare change, requiring Marin Transit to hold a public hearing on the program, Butnik said. Residents are invited to provide comments at the hearing, which is scheduled for the agency’s Oct. 7 board meeting.

Marin Transit staff will return to the board at its November meeting to request formal authorization to participate in the regional transfer pilot program.

The program is being organized by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, or MTC, the Bay Area’s regional planning agency.

John Goodwin, spokesperson for MTC, said the pilot program will launch at the same time as Clipper 2.0, which is set to begin in April.

“Once the regional transfer pilot program begins, it will continue for at least 18 months, with an automatic extension for another six months if funding is available,” Goodwin said.

Last year, MTC set aside $22 million for the transfer pilot program to reduce, or perhaps even eliminate, financial risk to transit agencies, Goodwin said.

“Evaluation of the pilot program results absolutely will be done with an eye toward making the discount transfer policies permanent,” Goodwin said. “Key questions: Do the discounted transfers increase the number of interagency transfers? What is the impact of the transfer discounts on transit agency revenues?”

Matt Stevens, spokesperson for SMART, said its $1.50 transfer discount applies to riders switching between its trains and all North Bay operators, including Golden Gate Transit.

“SMART is happy to participate in the uniform regional transfer program,” Stevens said. “We already have one in the North Bay and hope that the regionalwide program encourages more people to use transit.”

Denis Mulligan is general manager of the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District, which operates Golden Gate Ferry and Golden Gate Transit buses. He said there are agreements with all North Bay bus operators for free local trips when transferring from Golden Gate vehicles.

For riders who transfer to a Golden Gate regional bus from a local bus, the Golden Gate fare is reduced by the amount of the local fare they paid, he said.

MTC’s regional transfer pilot program will expand the $2.50 discount to all transit agencies it touches, including AC Transit, the San Francisco transit system, Bay Area Rapid Transit and more, Mulligan said.

Mulligan said staff will present the program to the board before Clipper 2.0 rolls out.

“The district is looking forward to participating in MTC’s regional transfer pilot program,” Mulligan said.

Clipper 2.0 also will include a tap-to-pay feature, enabling fare payment at Clipper card readers via debit and credit cards and Google Pay or Apple Pay.

All of Marin Transit’s pass products will be available on Clipper, including monthly passes.

Clipper will offer pay-as-you-go passes, which means that once a rider has paid $40 worth of fares in a month, the remaining rides are free. Fares are capped at $20 for passholders who are seniors and people with disabilities.

Additionally, value added to a Clipper card remotely will be immediately available on the card for payment.

More information on the hearing and the program is at marintransit.org.