Cubic Transportation Systems, has announced that more than one million of its Clipper® contactless regional smart cards are in circulation in the San Francisco Bay area 18 months since it rebranded the card from its previous name, TransLink. The Metropolitan Transit Commission (MTC) in Oakland, CA, administers the card.

“We’re excited for MTC and its customers that Clipper is winning over new fans who recognize how much easier it makes their commutes,” said Matt Newsome, Cubic’s vice president and regional director for the West Coast.  “Clipper has something for everyone—particularly seniors, youth, and the disabled—who can benefit from discounted fares that are only available with the contactless Clipper card technology.”

Participating public transportation agencies promote the replacement of paper tickets with the modern Clipper card through educational campaigns, stressing such benefits as one-card convenience for all agencies in the region; the capability to add value online; and special fare discount programs for some riders.

The regional Clipper fare collection allows riders to use the Clipper smart card on any of the regional services now linked via the Clipper system.   Participating operators include the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District, San Francisco Municipal Railway, AC Transit, Caltrain, the San Mateo County Transit District, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, and Golden Gate buses and ferries.

Cubic took over the contract for the original TransLink regional fare collection system in 2009 and, less than a year later, helped MTC launch the new Clipper system. Cubic operates the customer call center, Clipper Card fulfillment and distribution, technical help desk, the retail merchant network, and the transit benefits system for employer/employee management of transit subsidies.