Unused Clipper card balances now sit at more than $150 million

A sign is posted at a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station on October 15, 2013 in San Francisco, California. BART management and union leaders with Bay the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555 and the SEIU Local 1021 continue to negotiate a new contract for workers as the threat of a transit strike continues to loom over the heads of Bay Area commuters. BART, the nation's fifth-largest commuter rail system, carries nearly 400,000 passengers every weekday.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - OCTOBER 15: A sign is posted at a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station on October 15, 2013 in San Francisco, California. BART management and union leaders with Bay the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555 and the SEIU Local 1021 continue to negotiate a new contract for workers as the threat of a transit strike continues to loom over the heads of Bay Area commuters. BART, the nation's fifth-largest commuter rail system, carries nearly 400,000 passengers every weekday. Photo credit Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – It’s not just gift cards going unused these days – Clipper cards have also been going unused.

Clipper cards that do not get used go inactive after three years.  However, the balances on those cards don’t go away.

“Nothing really happens to the value. It is still there for the customer,” Metropolitan Transportation Commission spokesman John Goodwin told KCBS Radio.

Money that is spent on Clipper card values are immediately spent by transit agencies like BART, but many people end up not using the services.

The sum of unused Clipper card balances is now at $157 million – up from $141 million at the end of 2023.

“The bulk of this rising balance is due to changes in commute patterns and people are not using transit as frequently,” Goodwin explained.  “In some cases, many people are not using transit at all anymore.”

Another source of unused Clipper cards is tourists who may buy $20 or $25 of fare value, but don’t use the full amount before they leave town.

Roughly five to six percent of the outstanding Clipper cards that have been classified as being inactive are reactivated by customers.

Featured Image Photo Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images