A half-century Bay Area tradition comes to an end this week when BART riders will no longer be able to use paper tickets as fare payment, as the system transitions to Clipper-only.
The change takes effect Nov. 30 as BART rolls out new fare gates that won’t accept the old paper/magstripe tickets, and as preparation for the launch of the next generation of Clipper.
Old paper ticket balances can’t be transferred to a Clipper card, but riders can obtain a refund for tickets with a value of $1 or more, or for multiple tickets that add up to more than $1, according to BART. There is no deadline for requesting a refund.
Information about obtaining refunds is available on BART’s website.
BART has switched to the Clipper-only fare payment system because Clipper has been designated the Bay Area’s all-in-one transit card administered by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.
In 2024, the next generation of Clipper will be rolled out to include open payment, which provides the option to tag a credit/debit card at a BART fare gate, including Apple Pay or Google Pay, without setting up a card on a phone in advance.
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