Frustration continues to mount for some Bay Area transit agencies as they continue to wait for the rollout of the next generation of the Clipper card system.
Leaders of the Bay Area transit systems met last week to receive an updated timeline on when riders would begin transitioning to the new Clipper system. The new preliminary timeline shows that the transition would start in mid-July and last through November, barring any remaining risks to the schedule. Previous timelines shown to the board had the transition start in April and May. No official date has been set yet by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the Bay Area’s transportation planning agency, which also oversees Clipper.
Despite the report from staff at the MTC and Cubic, the vendor of the Clipper system, which showed some recent progress in the project, including the near completion of transitioning Muni fare gates and the delivery of hundreds of new Clipper card readers to BART, transit officials remained disappointed with the lapse in the schedule again.
“While the presenters have excitement about recent progress and achievements since we last met, that does not temper my disappointment with the project delay,” said Denis Mulligan, general manager for the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District.
Still, Mulligan added that the next Clipper system should be rolled out when the project is ready.
“While I’m incredibly frustrated, I also know that rushing something would be an unmitigated disaster,” he said.
Julie Kirschbaum, director of transportation for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, also expressed some frustration with the delay, noting the project had been delayed for two years.
“We need this product, Kirschbaum said. “We needed it yesterday.”
One of the main features of the upcoming Clipper system is that it will allow Bay Area transit riders to tap their credit cards to pay for fares, simplifying the payment process for riders. The new system will also allow transit agencies more flexibility in adding their fare types into the new system, including a pilot program fare discount for riders transferring between BART and other Bay Area transit systems.
The SFMTA also had planned to phase out its MuniMobile app once the transition to the new Clipper system began. The app offers fares, such as its all-day Muni pass and discounted Lifeline pass, which are not available for purchase currently on Clipper.
SFMTA officials have previously said that operating a separate app to Clipper is an added cost to the agency, which currently faces a projected $320 million budget deficit next year.
The cost of operating MuniMobile for the SFMTA was about $555,000 from December 2023 to June 2024 and nearly $853,000 from July 2024 to March 2025, according to the SFMTA.
MTC and Cubic staff plan to provide another project update at the Clipper executive board meeting next month.
