The day that many public transportation riders in the Bay Area have been waiting for for years is finally here.
“This has been one of the most frequently asked for features for the past couple of years from Clipper customers,” said John Goodwin with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.
Finally, riders can load their Clipper cards on their smartphones and use them to pay for their fares.
That means no more fishing around for your card as you get ready to board the train or bus.
“People can now use Clipper on their iPhone or their Apple Watch if they choose, and can do so on any of the 24 Bay Area transit systems that accept Clipper as fare payment,” said Goodwin. “It also will be available on Google Pay next month.”
This will make the process of boarding more streamlined for folks who wear a smartwatch or prefer to use their phone.
Clipper’s new app also makes it easier for people to add cash to their cards, set up auto-reload or plan their routes.
There’s another benefit as well.
“As people start returning to work and ideally returning to public transit, this is another opportunity for contactless payment.”
There is one catch. You can either use your physical card or your phone, but not both. Once you transfer your card to your Apple Wallet, the physical Clipper card will be deactivated.
But people who prefer to keep using their cards can do so. Goodwin says there is no need for customers to make the switch.
Apple users should have at least an iPhone 8 or a series 3 watch.
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