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13h ago

BART Launches Tap-and-Ride Open Payments for Contactless Cards and Mobile Wallets

Bank‑card taps charge the full adult fare, meaning riders who rely on discounts or transfers should keep using Clipper.

A BART commuter passes through a fare gate on Tuesday, July 1, 2025.
The fare gates at the Coliseum BART station are seen in Oakland. Starting Wednesday, BART riders can tap credit cards or phones at fare gates in addition to using Clipper cards.
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Starting Wednesday, BART riders can tap credit cards or phones at fare gates in addition to using Clipper cards.

Overview

  • Starting Wednesday, fare gates accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover and Apple Pay or Google Pay, and riders must tap the same payment method to enter and exit.
  • The rollout is limited to BART at launch, with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission funding the upgrade and no firm timeline set for other Bay Area agencies.
  • Discounted fares for seniors, youth, riders with disabilities and low-income programs, as well as employer commuter benefits, are available only via Clipper for now.
  • Officials warn of possible card clash at gates and advise tapping a single card or setting a default card in a phone or watch to avoid erroneous charges.
  • The move is an early milestone in the long-delayed Clipper 2.0 modernization under a 2018 Cubic contract, with fare capping and integrated cross‑agency transfers still pending.