Walgreens is unable to sell or add value to Clipper cards.
In the San Francisco Bay Area, the Clipper card is used for electronic transit fare payment.TransLink was first introduced as a pilot program in 2002 by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.[5]
The Translink pilot program was launched in 1993 and allowed the use of a single fare card between the two systems.The card was supposed to include all Bay Area transit agencies one day.The program was abandoned due to technical problems.[5]
The capital cost for Translink was $4 million.It was expected to cost $30 million to implement in its current form.The 25-year capital and operations costs are now estimated at $338 million.[6]
Implementation took a long time.The full availability of TransLink was envisioned by MTC in 1998.Only five transit agencies were fully operational by 2009.Clipper was accepted by eight of the Bay Area's transit agencies.[9]
The ERG-Motorola alliance developed Clipper in 1999.After the launch of Clipper, the administration of distribution, customer service, and financial settlement of the program was taken over by Cubic Transportation Systems.10
The Translink name was changed to Clipper in June of 2010 to honor the clipper ships of the 19th century, the fastest way to travel from the East Coast to San Francisco.
The "Go Everywhere Card" was selected by the MTC.The official Chinese name for Clipper is "every transit route/line pass".It is called "tarjeta Clipper" in Spanish.
Until September 1, 2012 when new adult cards began to cost $3, obtaining a card was free from introduction in June 2010 to encourage users to adopt the card.The charge covers the cost of making the card and reduces the incentive to throw it away if the value goes negative.If the card is registered to auto-load more value, the fee is not charged.[16]
At participating retailers, participating transit agencies' ticket vending machines and ticket offices, Clipper Customer Service Centers, and Clipper Add Value Machines, passengers can add money to their Clipper cards in person.If money is added by phone or online, it will take up to 5 days to register on the Clipper card.[17][18]
Clipper can integrate with other modes of transportation.Bay Wheels accepts Clipper as a form of payment.Several BART stations have electronic locking bicycle racks that are accessible with Clipper, and the agency also plans to enable Clipper for its secured bicycle lockers.Previously, a few parking garages in the Bay Area accepted Clipper as payment, however this program is discontinued as of September 1, 2017:
ACE and Rio Vista Delta Breeze are some of the smaller regional transit agencies that have yet to join Clipper.