Innovative pilot program results in promising ridership growth for Bay Area transit agencies
New data shows Clipper BayPass a huge success in encouraging the use of transit as it enters its next phase
A two-year pilot program designed to test how an unlimited transit pass would work in the Bay Area has recorded more than 2 million trips among participants in its first year of existence. Clipper BayPass provides 50,000 college students and affordable housing residents with a Clipper card that allows them free, unlimited rides on more than two dozen Bay Area transit systems.
The next phase of the BayPass pilot program involves recruiting and enrolling Bay Area employers into the program with an announcement of the first major employer that has committed to offering the benefit to employees being announced in the coming days.
The goal of Clipper BayPass is to measure if giving participants a prepaid card that offers unlimited trips and transfers between systems encourages people to take more transit. The latest numbers measuring ridership from the launch of the pilot in August 2022 to August 2023 paint a clear picture:
*Clipper BayPass cards are logging 40% more trips than the average single-agency Clipper card.
*74% increase in transfers between transit operators
*85% of Clipper BayPass users agree that BayPass helps them travel to new locations in the Bay Area
“In just its first year of existence Clipper BayPass is already establishing itself as a shining example of regional coordination among Bay Area transit agencies,” said BART General Manager Bob Powers. “Clipper BayPass is giving us a vision of the future of Bay Area transit and shows if we make transfers between systems more seamless ridership will increase across the board.”
“It’s exciting to see real-world data on the role fare coordination can play in helping to boost transit ridership,” said Metropolitan Transportation Commission Executive Director Andrew Fremier. “We want to build a more equitable and seamless fare system for the Bay Area. Studying a regional fare pass using students and residents of affordable housing communities shows that commitment.”
Participants in Phase 1 of Clipper BayPass include students at UC Berkeley, San Francisco State University, San Jose State University, and Santa Rosa Junior College as well as residents at affordable housing communities managed by MidPen Housing.
Clipper BayPass is now Recruiting Employers
The next phase of Clipper BayPass involving Bay Area employers launches in January 2024. The program will expand to include about 20,000 employees from a diverse range of employers varying by types of industries, employer sizes, and geographic locations. The program is currently recruiting employers looking to be one of the first to offer their employees the benefits of unlimited transit. More information and an interest form are available at clipperbaypass.com
Funding for the Unlimited Pass Pilot
Clipper BayPass is comanaged by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and BART. The MTC Commission has allocated $4.5 million to reimburse transit operators for the cost of trips taken during the first phase of the program. In Phase 2, participating employers will pay MTC for employee transit passes and MTC will reimburse transit operators for employee trips taken.
