I like the Clipper Card. After watching the Muni Fast Pass lose its luster over several decades, and having to pay cash on CalTrain and AC Transit, I am happy that the railroads have coordinated their payment system and I can now go almost anywhere in the Bay Area with one payment method. When I was working with smart cards at Visa I could tell this would be a great way to handle cash-like transactions, but I didn't dream that it would be the railroads that would lead the way. There's a chip in the card that responds with a radio signal when the reader tickles it. You have to hold the card just right in front of the reader to make it work. Three high beeps means something went wrong, dude, try again. There's a diagnostic on the reader that says why it beeped like that. I've seen people pulled off the bus because they didn't pay attention to that three-high-beep warning. One low beep means OK, pass. My experience is that my magnetic stripe credit cards are not threatened by the signal. I have learned to "tag" the reader with my wallet without even opening it, although I do make sure the side of the wallet with the Clipper Card in it is closest to the reader. Here's the part that I find fascinating: In order to fund my commute in pre-tax dollars, the money passes through at least 5 hands. There is the accountant at my company who allocates the reserve. There is the company that cuts the commuter check, and mails it to me. Yes, mails. As in there is a postal carrier who drops the check through a slot in my front door. Then I have to take the check to my nearest Walgreens, where the Walgreens clerk then processes it and loads my Clipper Card. And let's not forget there is someone at the Clipper Card company, secretly known as Cubic Transportation Systems, that does the daily card clearing. Oh, and then Muni, BART, AC Transit and Golden Gate Transit all have their own operations, so when I travel their readers are updated. Somewhere there are computers and engineers paddling and turning wheels to make sure the whole system keeps working. Isn't modern life convenient? I get the Muni-only Fast Pass loaded on my card at Walgreens, and I load my cash balance for the other transportation systems at a BART kiosk. Convenient. As in for the railroads, not necessarily for me. read more

Sadly, like others here, I've experienced Clipper Card's terrible customer service. I sent in two card cancellation forms and request for refund for two different cards I no longer needed, sent the paperwork certified mail to their listed PO Box on Friday, Dec 2, 2022, and received confirmation from the postal service my letter was delivered to their PO Box on Tuesday, Dec 6. It wasn't picked up until Friday, Dec 9. When I hadn't heard anything by the end of December, I called and-- after spending the required 30-45 minutes on the phone with them-- was told it could take as much as 30 days to process. So I called back on January 9, 2023 and no one could tell me where my paperwork was. Finally, after several days of calling (and several hours on the phone), I was told my file had been located and I should be receiving my refund checks in 10-14 business days. Today, January 24, I received... (wait for it)... two replacement Clipper Cards with my prior existing balances on them. I called and spent the required 30-45 minutes on the phone with them again while the customer service person checked with supervisors. After an hour of my time I finally received my long-awaited solution: "your refund application is still being processed. Please allow 10-14 business days to receive your checks." When I asked to speak to a supervisor, I was told that wasn't possible. When I asked what other recourse I might have, I was told, "you'll just have to wait the 10-14 business days." No private business could survive such terrible service. Unfortunately, there is no recourse, and my next step will be having to wait in line at a brick-and-mortar service center. The only bright spot to all this is once I solve this problem, I look forward to never owning a Clipper Card again. read more

When it works, the service is great. But woe be you if you forget to update an expired credit card. My card was blocked today, because an old credit card that was still on the account expired. I haven't used the card because I use Commuter Check now, and there is plenty of money on the card, but apparently that doesn't matter. So I call and ask if they can take my card. No, I'm told, I have to go to the website. Okay, so when I correct my card it will be unblocked, right? No, it will take 48 hours to process. So apparently Translink is incapable of doing what even the smallest of online retailers can do. Outrageous. read more

I don't care what others say but I think Translink is fantastic. A little green card that pretty much gets me all over the Bay Area without having to dirty my hands with cash, transfers, tickets, etc. You can open your account online and choose if you want to use your Translink for Muni, Bart, AC Transit, Caltrain, etc. Also, you can buy high-value Bart passes and save $. You can set up e-cash which will automatically charge your account the fare of whatever transportation mode you are using and will refill your amount when it drops below a certain number. I don't use $55 worth of Muni in one month to get a Muni Pass so e-cash comes in handy. It's great because I get to choose how much e-cash I want it to refill at a time, and I choose when to do so. I'M IN CONTROL! With Fastrak it doesn't let you choose really how much, which sucks but I've learned to deal with it. Major Plus: About a week ago, I lost my Translink card on Bart on my way to work (yikes!). I walked toward the exit and realized I no longer had my card with me. Immediately after I got to work, I signed into my Translink account, canceled my old card and ordered a new one. For $5 I had a brand new card waiting for me in the mail the next business day! I was in shock and delight. read more

DO NOT USE AUTO LOAD WITH YOUR BENEFIT CARD (e.g. wageworks...). Their system is basically black hole.. I am sure someone ranked high in Muni system got a sweet deal when they replace the ticketing system with clipper card. read more

The price of a monthly pass for me has risen $40 in less than a year, but online customers still have to tag on and off, and wait 5 days for activation. Autoload is broken too. If you're going to charge me more, fix your damn service read more

The Bay Area is one of the most technologically cutting edge regions in the universe. This product and its customer "service" are an EMBARRASSMENT to the region. Hard to believe, but this is almost as embarrassing as the fact that a typical trip in the Bay Area (pre-TransLink) required three different fares paid with three mutually incompatible fare media purchased from three different types of machines operated by three noncooperating bureaucratic agencies. What's wrong with TransLink? You cannot check your balance online. You cannot check recent activity online. You can "add funds" from a credit card online, but the two times I've done it, it has taken *five business days* for the balance to show up on the card. When I applied for my card via email (as directed on their site), after 3 weeks of no reply I called them and they said "Oh yes, we seem to have your email here, I'm not sure why nobody processed it." You cannot buy the card anywhere except online. I have read in others' posts (though I have not, yet, tried this myself) that you cannot even CANCEL your card without PAYING AN EXTRA FEE. None of the transit agency personnel are any help when you have a TransLink problem. In fact, even WageWorks, the company that runs my employer's (UC Berkeley) transit benefits program, is unable to answer even basic questions about provisioning the card, beyond those already in the anemic FAQ on the TransLink website, itself apparently designed using technologies that were state-of-the-art in 1999. And vice versa: the TransLink people apparently have no idea who is distributing their card besides themselves. The incompetence of the outfit running this is nearly comical. I say "nearly" because the concept of a single-fare system is a critically important one for the Bay Area. The technology task here is trivial compared to what has been accompilshed by the world-changing companies born in this region -- Google, Yahoo, Cisco, Sun, Apple, eBay, Adobe, just to name a few. I'm appalled at the abominable execution behind this service. If this is the best we can do, we suck. If this is NOT the best we can do but it was chosen anyway, then the civil servants in charge of making the decision (and as far as I can tell, of not enforcing accountability after the fact) suck. Either way, this sucks. read more

Clipper customer service is poor at best. They take too long to add valve to an account; yes they have my money on the clipper card and the clipper card says active on website, but at the Bart station the clipper card is blocked. There is plenty of money on my commuter card and the commuter credit card works fine if I purchase a regular Bart ticket. So it's not the commuter credit card or lack of funds. Why can't customer unblock a card that shouldn't be blocked in the first place? read more

The worst! Add value machines take forever to add values to the card, and are broken most of the times. read more

Great idea, terrible execution. Like many others, I really want to love Translink. I hated having to remember to buy a muni pass each month. On the months when I didn't buy a pass, I hated scrambling for change. At first, I was pretty happy with Translink, even though it takes a few days for the pass to load onto the card, you often have to scan the card two or three times, and one month it mysteriously stopped working for a few days and the website is a disaster. You can enter your credit card online, but its hard to change autoload amounts and you can't check a history of credit or bank account transactions. If you want to see a ride history, you can request that it be emailed to you within 5 business days. This month though I've become an official Translink hater. My muni fast pass is paid for using work credit card. This month the bank placed a hold on the credit card. Translink loaded a fast pass on the card but then blocked it on April 6 when the credit card payment was denied. I didn't discover this until trying to use the card later in the week. After calling my employer, the credit card block was removed and I called Translink to ask them to charge the card again. They mentioned that they had another old credit card number on file, and I told them to delete that card and retry the same card they've been charging for the past 6 months. The card has not worked all week after several calls to Translink and my employer's bank. Finally I thought to ask Translink which card they had been trying to charge; they'd been using the old credit card number and had deleted the current card. I was told I needed to go online and enter the correct credit card number. The card will be charged the $70 for the April pass, which will be available to use in the next 72 hours. They told me there is no way to cancel the April fast pass, since it was used once before the block was placed. So we will end up paying $70 for 2 weeks of fast pass use. Ugh. Really, do we really need to put up with outdated technology and crappy customer service? read more

I recently came across the IRS commuter maximums for $130/mo commuter benefit vs $250/mo parking benefit, and my commute is $230 a month for a ferry. Funny how the IRS incentivizes more value for driving to work and parking, than it does for commuting on public trans. anyways, I asked Wageworks to setup a parking debit card to offset my $130/mo max for commuting debit card, thinking I could just use the visa debit authorization schema and apply it to the stored value on my translink card at the clipper add value stations. Does anyone know if this will work? Thanks. read more

I'm not sure why they are so many bad reviews here. Sure, occasionally it fails to register, and I need BART staff to fix it up, but that's not common. I use Clipper almost every day on BART and it works as well as expected - honestly, what kind of system would be better? The alternative is to buy tickets at machines, which is a PITA. So, here's to Clipper, until they think up something even better. read more

Gawd, Clipper sucks big time! So much so, someone's even selling a t-shirt with that message. http://www.zazzle.com/clipper_sucks_tshirt-235458527430048745 We signed up to get the high value discount BART tickets. It turns out that if you are on the HVD autoload program, you can put in cash on the card, but can't access the e-cash on BART. Once your HVD ticket drops below $10, the autoload system keeps buying HVD tickets from your bank account even though there's e-cash on the card and if there's any sort of problem with your funding source (e.g., bank had to change your credit card number), there's no guarantee that the whole card won't shut down leaving you without access to the e-cash that you purchased. Once the card is blocked, it takes over a week to unblock - up to 3 days to process the new funding source and 5 days for the card to be ready again after the funding source to be approved. In addition there are security and privacy issues related to the RFID chips in the card. Read the first article from theregister and be very afraid. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/10/10/mifare_desfire_smartcard_broken/ http://www.munidiaries.com/2011/06/10/what-does-your-clipper-card-say-about-you/ We use "disposable" credit card numbers for the autoload program because of security concerns. If you are an infrequent BART user, I recommend paper tickets. I now know how to work the system, but I'm not sure it's worth the hassle. We're going to try to spend our Clipper cards down to zero and then quit using them. 5/2012 update: It's clear that BART isn't even trying to make sure Clipper staff understands how Clipper works on BART. I have been given wrong information by Clipper staff about how to use the card on BART and had to get the correct info from a BART station agent. It's appalling that BART is pushing its customers to switch to Clipper yet not ensuring that the Clipper hand knows what the BART hand is doing and vice versa. read more

Between FasTrak, and my TransLink, my life has become ever so simple. Whether I am on the bus, or in my car, I know longer need to keep change around my pockets, and it takes me a quarter of the time waiting in lines, or lanes with my hi-tec pals. It makes sense for everyone to have no matter how often, or infrequent you will use them. If everyone had these, the bay area would be moving a WHOLE LOT FASTER!! FastTrak- A device that is portable for your car that automatically deducts funds for bridge, and other tolled areas so you do not have to stop, and pay cash for them. The system also saves you money off of the tolls, usually by a dollar or more! www.bayareafastrak.org/ Translink- A card with an electronic chip built in so that you can "tag" on to buses, or ferry's without paying, and using cash. It also serves as a transfer that lasts longer than the standard paper, and it also SAVES A TON OF MONEY from your bus, and ferry fees. Nearly $10 off a round-trip ticket on the Golden Gate Ferry from Sausalito to the City!! This system can be filled up in amounts as you would like, or you may hook it up to your bank account, and have the funds electronically transferred. THIS CARD HAS BECOME A PART OF MY DAILY LIFE! www.translink.org read more

I have mixed feelings about translink. On one hand, I love not having to carry change around to pay for buses, but on the other hand... where are my late night transfers at 8PM??? So far I've been using the system for about a month, I don't ride muni often enough to buy a fast pass, so the translink seemed like a great idea.... if it worked properly. So far, my card reads all the time, but I'll get the red light on the two attempts and then green on the third, not to mention it works flawlessly in the underground stations (seriously...wtf?) So there is that, and then, some buses the machines aren't even turned on. Muni drivers generally don't give a flying f if your card works or not, they have no idea how the thing works, and by damn if they're going to figure it out. Most drivers just tell me to get one when I'm having issues with it. Thankfully every time Ive been stopped by a fare inspector they've just waved me on and not checked the card, which is cool. All in all, I think they have some kinks to work out, but eventually it will be a good system, especially when BART starts supporting it again. read more

I was so excited that the MUNI Fast Pass was finally coming to TransLink. So excited, I didn't care that it didn't include the cable cars, which I rarely ride anyway. Well, their cards work at the BART gates maybe once out of 10 times. A typical scenario: first tag, "See Agent"; second (consecutive) tag, "Tag Card Again"; third, "OK". This especially sucks when you're getting out of BART and there's someone behind you who's put his old school ticket in out of habit--you end up exiting on his/her ticket. Another thing that's lame about TransLink is you have to wait days to receive your activity statement, whereas on the BART EZ Rider program, you can look up your activity online instantly. And if you end up on a MUNI bus or train (the F, in my case) with a broken transponder, you're S.O.L. Sorry, should've been a great idea, but not nearly ready for prime time. They clearly didn't do enough testing on this before they rolled it out. I'm going back to the paper Fast Pass and EZ Rider card. read more

Worse. Company. Ever. Worst. Customer. Experience. Ever. They clearly don't care about their customers, which is so sad. Customer service reps have attitudes and cannot help you with many things. They told me to go to the website to fill out a form, but each time the form had errors and told me to call them for help instead. Total catch 22. Website is buggy- had errors when I tried things both on a Mac and on a PC. When on the bus, their Translink card readers only work half the time. I wish there were alternatives. I have no idea why Bay Area Golden Gate Transit, Ferry and BART signed with these people. read more

A useless, screwed up bureaucracy. The only way to get a card free of charge now is to sign up for a new card with auto-load online. The only way to get a new card online is to create another account. Want to add a new card to your existing account for your son/daughter/SO? Sorry, can't do that without charging you $3. Even they customer support person I talked to seemed taken back by this, but after putting me on hold for some time, he confirmed that this was the case. Just.Stupid. read more

This review is for CALTRAIN CLIPPER ONLY (obviously). Edit: Customer service was reachable after completing a large number of steps. They were able to refund the money that I lost from forgetting to tag off. Changing from 1 star to 4 stars. Original review below. -Caltrain Clipper suffers from a massive failure in user interface design. Many people such as monthly pass holders only tag on/off on very rare days. We have filtered out the signs that tell us to tag off because it's a basic function of the human brain to adopt habits and filter unnecessary information. Relying on signs that we are bombarded with EVERY DAY to "remind" us to tag off on the RARE days is simply ridiculous, as evidenced by the multitude of dissatisfied Caltrain riders complaining about Clipper. At least on BART you are forced to go through a gate, which means anyone who tries to go around the gates is actually trying to cheat the system. -When you become a victim of aforementioned terrible user interface design, you get charged $12.75 each time! It will assume you took the train to GILROY! WHO THE **** GOES TO GILROY??? -When you call to complain, it will take you on a phone tree with dead ends: "Press 1 for English" [you press 1] "Press 1 for Caltrain" [you press 1] "Enter your clipper serial or don't enter it" [If you enter serial:] "make a pin to use some useless feature we are offering" [you make a pin without knowing why] "you just got an email for this weird random feature we didn't explain very well... anyway it's useless but you should click accept" "main menu: view balance, add value, find out some other random useless information, repeat this shitty menu, go back, or start over." [If you don't enter serial:] "main menu: view balance, add value, find out some other random useless information, repeat this shitty menu, go back, or start over." NEVER at any point will you be transferred to a customer service representative. read more

Incredibly useful right now for AC Transit, and they're hoping to roll it out on BART and Muni soon, but you can get the card free so long as you set up autopay from a checking account (you can cancel autopay later if you want), it's linked to the major pre-tax commuter benefits programs (I use WageWorks, they also take Commuter Check), and there is currently a 50-cent discount on local trips. I never have to worry about change anymore. Be sure to look at the screen when you tap your card against the reader. On one occassion, the local bus I boarded was still set to the transbay fare ($3.75)from a previous route it had run. However, I was able to get that corrected and refunded through their customer service line the next day. You need to wait for the next day because the transactions don't process until overnight, but it was very painless since every transaction notes the line you boarded. read more

OMG this service SUCKS 1) I am not getting transfers. I get charged every time I get on the bus. Today I paid $6 for a $2 ride NOT OKAY 2) Customer service is poor to nonexistent: ----a) I emailed them about a problem I was having Oct 20. I have yet to receive any kind of reply ----b) the "contact us" page on their website is broken. You can fill it out, but all you'll get for your trouble is an error message. 3) The system steals your money. A couple of months ago, I bought a $55 fastpass with three $20 bills, assuming I could get change or apply the balance to next months fast pass. Nope! 4) I have been unable to register my card or access my account - not sure which is the problem, because I can't get CS to help me. However, the end result is that the promised "replacement protection" (the ability to cancel and get a new pass if someone steals your card) isn't as available as their literature would lead you to believe. In short: sucks ass. Buyer beware! read more

It there was a no star, or a negative star rating, I would surely use it. The clipper card itself works like a charm...95% of the time. My great dissatisfaction comes from their grossly dysfunctional customer service. I don't know at what level (management, change in policy, training, poor hiring guidelines, etc.) their system breaks down, but I can say that I have never had a good, or even mildly mediocre, experience. Trying to block my lost card, activate a new card and transfer the balance to the new card has been a nightmare. It seems like a fairly simple thing to try to do, as I'm sure cards are lost and stolen all the time. Two weeks and 6 painful call later it's still not "resolved". I am super-gluing the new card to myself, as I don't ever want to go through the pain of dealing with Clipper customer service again. :( read more

Does Clipper not read these reviews? Do they not see the same issues arising across the board for a majority of its customers? I lived in NYC for 8 years and rarely had issues with my Metro Card. It was accessible, it worked automatically when adding funds and rarely malfunctioned. And if it did I would get refunded (and that only happened once)! Now I am back in the Bay Area and can't afford taking Ubers and paying for parking every day to go to work. Twice now I have had to wait to use my card because it takes up to 5 days to "automatically" add funds to my card. Why does it take so long? When I purchase groceries with my card the clerk doesn't say "Your food will arrive in five days." So this time I gave in and included autoload and guess what? Doesn't work! Tried getting on the bus after 5 days and it said "No Funds." Huh? I called customer service just now and she said that the value was added but the bus' system is most likely old and isn't reading it correctly. So I have to go all the way to the Embarcadero Station just to tap my card at the kiosk center to make sure it works. Did I mention I'm on crutches right now for an injured ankle and live in Outer Richmond? Getting around isn't easy for me. San Francisco boasts itself as the leading city for the best technology. Then can someone fix this silliness and create a system that will bring us out of the stone age please? read more

In general, Clipper makes my life easier. I only use BART and MUNI, so I can't comment on its relationship with Caltrain. I love that I don't even have to take my card out of my wallet for the scanner to read it. Not having to worry about carrying two dollars in cash for the MUNI is heaven. My problems are such: -Only BART stations with MUNI connections have Clipper card uploaders/distributors. So if I BART to the Mission and I need to put money on my Clipper card to get home, I am screwed. I would have to purchase a BART ticket just for that ride. There should be at least one Clipper card machine in every BART station. It's frustrating to have to plan it so far in advance when I should recharge my card. -Why does AirBART not take Clipper? Isn't it part of the system? -Don't ever scan your card, go downstairs, realize there are no more trains running in your direction, and then come back upstairs and scan. You will be charged a pretty penny for walking up and down a flight of stairs. However, I still love my Clipper card. Even if it does not love me the same amount. read more

Keep going back and forth because I WANT to like you. But 3 days for an update to my account? And unlike FasTrak, I have to request an email of my activity? But I can go all sorts of places between Golden Gate, MUNI, BART, and AC Transit without having to cough up cash, so in that respect I guess I should be grateful. It's nice to just whip out one universal thing to pay. However, the less distance I have to travel, the more likely I am to just pay with cash. read more

1 star, only because I cannot give them 0 stars. I have tried to resolve an ongoing issue with TransLink (now Clipper) since 6/1/10, but it still has not been resolved. They have been unresponsive to my previous telephone calls and emails. I finally had to complain to the MTC. See below for my complaint to TransLink submitted on their website (and I still have not heard back from them!): "My June Muni Fast Pass (A) was loaded on my card prior to the month start. However, a glitch on your system prevented the pass from loading correctly. All subsequent fares from 6/1 on that should have been taken from my Muni Fast Pass were taken from my eCash account. Because I should never have had an issue with my Muni Fast Pass on my Translink card, I expect all fares taken from my eCash account to be refunded/rebated back to my card. I first brought this issue to Translink's attention on 6/1/2010. Spoke with Donna a few times. Was told by her on 6/3 (8:00PM), that the pass issue was resolved and the fares taken from my eCash would be rebated. She was incorrect and the pass issue was not resolved, as subsequent fares were still being pulled from my eCash account. I then called back on Friday, 6/4, spoke with Arne and advised her that the pass issue still had not been resolved. She advised that someone would get back to me. Not until 6/8, when I called in again and spoke with Tiffany, was my Fast Pass issue resolved. I advised Tiffany that there was still the issue of my eCash balance. She said that she would contact her supervisors and one of them would get back to me (Lashonda, Elia or Kathy). It has now been 8 days since I last spoke with Translink (and 7 days since I replied to an email from Tiffany) and still my eCash balance has not been adjusted. I am shocked and upset at the lack of responsiveness from Translink/Clipper and that this has been going on for 15 days and there still has not been any resolution. I would like a call from a supervisor ASAP explaining what has been done and what is going to be done. If I do not hear from a supervisor by the end of business today, I will take up the matter with MTC." read more

The card itself works fine but when my autoload was turned off due to an expired card the best customer service could do was tell me to re-fax my auto-load info. Really? I can't go online to change the number? Nope. Now that your card is blocked that feature is turned off. Really? I can't just give you the number over the phone? Nope. Really? A supervisor can't authorize a change to my profile that let's me change it now? Nope. After insisting on speaking with a supervisor I waited for 15 minutes. I'm sorry sir but no supervisors are available. They can call you back. When? Tomorrow? Really? I'm not hanging up. You have to deal with me now. Another 15 minutes go by. Sir, we researched your card and there's a problem with your card the blocks your autoload. It's specific to your card. Really? No other cards have this problem. Yes sir. Riiiiggght. I'm now faxing the form. :( read more

BE WARNED Translink has problems The Better Business Bureau has rated them an "F" * I was a Translink early adopter and had the card from September 2009 until January 2010 when suddenly it stopped working. It is now March 2010 and my card still does not work. Blocked by Translink. * Translink customer service blames my credit card that works with other auto-pay services seamlessly. * Customer service requires that I re-enter the card and then wait 72 hours - ad nauseum! * They have also randomly asked me to call my own credit card company for a solution, fax them proof of previous Translink charges, call back at a later time - you name it. They are making stuff up as they go along. * Their accounting department cannot show me proof or a rejection code that I can take to my cc company * I can never reach a supervisor who always happens to be on the phone with another caller (even if I'm willing to wait as long as it takes) read more

Make sure you don't buy one of their "fast passes," or whatever they're called, by mistake--especially if you commute between SF and the East Bay. You may never get your $70 back. Below is the complaint I sent to Clipper, although based on the reviews I've read here, I doubt much will change: Management - I would like to express my extreme dissatisfaction with the service I have been provided by your organization. Several weeks ago I purchased a Clipper card for $70 under the impression that I could use the card on BART between San Francisco and Oakland, which is my regular commute. I only found out immediately after purchasing the card that I had done so in error, and could not go back and request a cancellation or refund. I live on a limited income, so $70 is A LOT for me, especially for mistakenly pressing a button on Clipper's extremely confusing machines at that. I contacted customer service, and instead of providing me with a quick solution, I was informed that I would have to MAIL my card in, with a form and wait 21 business days for the refund. Moreover, I would have to pay a $5 "processing" fee. Absolutely unacceptable. So, reluctantly I agreed to go through with the process. I paid postage, filled out the form, included my rather "valuable" Clipper card in the envelope and sent it back. About a week later I received a charge for $5 from Clipper on June 2nd for what I would imagine to be the "refund processing" fee. It has been over a week later and I still have NO REFUND. How can you charge me for a refund and not provide the refund the same day or at latest, the day after? This is extremely shoddy customer service, and I would imagine that it might be illegal. Please take this complaint to heart and ensure that my refund is processed immediately. Your organization is in dire need of improvement, both in customer service and otherwise. (Letter End) Also, the card just plain SUCKS. Never worked for me even when I did use it--I'd always seem to hold up people behind me. The good old fashioned BART ticket is a GOD SEND compared to this worthless piece of plastic... read more

Steps to reproduce my problem: 1. Purchase a MUNI Fastpass for the Translink card 3 days before you need to use it 2. Get an email saying the pass will be ready to use within 48 hours 3. Use Translink 3+ days after that email, get charged $2 instead of using Fastpass 4. Call customer support, who says they'll take care of the problem, and will call back to discuss refunding the fare. 5. Use it on the 4th day, get charged $2 again. 6. Fastpass finally worked on the 5th day. 7. No calls yet, on the 7th day. So I have to call them and bitch them out for a refund. Not fun. :-( read more

Update 8/11/2009: TRANSLINK IS WORKING ON BART!!! Welcome to the big leagues Translink. I got an email through my BART EZ Rider account announcing that they would begin piloting Translink on BART. I swiped my Translink card on BART this morning just like I normally would my EZ Rider card. BAM! The only remaining glitch is that you still need the EZ RIder card to pay for BART parking. Come on Translink, you can do it, earn that last star!! Update 1/6/2009: Seems like Muni is making *some* progress with Translink. I can actually use my Translink card on Muni trains and buses now with no grief from the conductors, but they still only hang onto one star because NOW I can pay for BART parking with my EZ-Rider card! Sorry Translink, you gotta keep up! Here's my original review: As someone who uses multiple transit systems on a regular basis, the fact that BART and Muni are having trouble implementing Translink is a major PITA. *confession* I sometimes don't even pay my fare on Muni because it is so damned inconvenient. (I know, what a rogue.) So this is how I'm gonna handle reviews of the two systems. They only get one review, and 5 stars total since they should be the same damned system! For now, EZ Rider gets 4 stars since they are making my life easier in a very real way. I have the card. It works. I use it regularly. Click here for EZ Rider review. http://www.yelp.com/biz/bart-ez-rider-program-san-francisco#hrid:J7pXAV6EzH0MmQaAye7Xow Translink gets the 1 remaining star. They have been plagued by delays, on again off again trial implementations, and the process off getting and using the card has been more difficult than the other system. And I don't want to hear about "inter-agency coordination issues". I want the card. Get it done and you'll get your stars. And remember the only way for any system to get five stars is to merge. And yeah, this is biased. So f*&$in' what?!?! read more

"Clipper's cashless system was also supposed to increase Muni efficiency by reducing time taken collecting fares. But Muni's on-time performance has actually declined in recent months. " - NY Times In addition to the above, here's some other negatives: - The customer support system is slow and confusing - The line to reload your card with a human is always incredibly long - The machine to reload your card has bugs. For example, I was 2 dollars short on my Clipper issued Master Card, and the machine said I had no funds at all, instead of telling me to add 2 more dollars - The scanning machines often fail ...etc. read more

Really convenient to use. I just went online to order the Translink card (first timers get the $5 charge waived), gave them my credit card number for auto reload, and a few days later, I received my card in the mail. It's been a couple of months and no problems so far. The best part: I don't have to worry about carrying change, or going to the front of the N train when there are a million other people waiting to pay, too. I go on the back train where there are way more seats! With the number of Muni officers who are checking for tickets/fast passes these days, it's so much easier with Translink. read more

FastTrak... Check. TransLink... Check. This little green card just makes riding MUNI and AC Transit easy. I was one of the first pilot testers, and I have to say it's a cool concept. My only qualms is how it's not perfect just yet, and also I wish the MTC/ERG Transit Systems can bring over smart card-based toll tags made by Denso in Japan so that people can use TransLink in the FastTrak lanes... read more

Clipper is awesome and frustrating all at the same time! Pros + No stupid BART tickets + No cash required + Auto fare reduction for BART to Muni transfer + Convenience across bay area public transport network Cons - 3 Days to credit online!!!! WTF is that about! - no Unlimited monthly ticket for BART, come on give commuters a break - V *POOR* incentive schemes - Unreliable fare collection machines on Muni Judging by other reviews, thank god I have not had to deal with customer service yet! fingers crossed! touch wood! etc! Overall this system should be much better than it is!! This is 2011 surely I can add credit in less than 3 days! its called the technology. Example should be taken from London's Oyster system! read more

I got a Clipper Card as I had reached my limit with panhandlers hovering around the BART ticket machines. It's like I have a flashing neon sign over my head that screams Easy Target and at times I really did fear for my safety. I just want to be able to enter the BART system and not be harassed for spare change. No I'm not a Mr. Scrooge but I'm not about to open my wallet out in public and have it stolen out of my hands. Being able to breeze past the ticket machines and head straight to the fare gates makes dealing with panhandlers a non-issue. And I love that I can add money to my Clipper Card online or at retailers where I feel more safe taking out my wallet. I do like the convenience of being able to add e-cash at the ticket machines but I prefer to handle those transactions online. Plus, I have to admit that I feel pretty cool tapping my card at the fare gates. I do wish Clipper didn't have the delays with e-cash purchased online but I understand (somewhat I admit) the whole not all buses return to the bus yard every day excuse. As I don't deal with monthly passes and Wageworks my experience with Clipper isn't as full of conflicts as with other people but I can certainly understand how they would be frustrated with Clipper. But for me, Clipper works and it works flawlessly. read more

I've used Translink for two weeks now and I don't like it. Next month I'm switching back to the paper pass. There are better solutions to a defective Muni fast pass (replacing them at Powell Station) than a bad Translink reader or in my case yesterday on the 5 Fulton, two broken readers. Some F Market historic trolleys don't have the readers installed and I got on one anyway because I told the driver I had a monthly fast pass. I was told to board another bus which I refused to do. This really needs to be resolved. read more

Awful. So so awful. Customer service (telephone) doesn't care to help or even a tiny bit of pleasantness. The in-person people are quite friendly but not empowered to do much unfortunately. read more

I find it convenient to have vs. the old paper tickets which always got demagnetized, and I'd be stuck with having to add more money to get it replaced. It's nice having within San Francisco where I can get unlimited MUNI rides for $62 a month ($72 if combining it for unlimited BART rides within the city...I believe it's for the routes from Balboa Park to the Embarcadero and back). If I need to use BART outside of those zones, I can add fare at the station just like the paper tickets. I can even reload my card at participating Walgreens stores. I have yet to use Clipper on Caltrain or other means of transport besides MUNI and BART. So far, I've found it to be a big help especially since I moved to San Francisco, and I ride MUNI several times a day. The one problem I ran into was when I lost my monthly pass mid-month, and I couldn't just load the card with the remaining discounted amount. I ended up buying two 7-day paper passes at the cable car turnaround on Powell for $27 each. read more

Such an improvement over the paper passes that always demagnetized - I will never go back. The rollout of this system was seriously flawed however, and all the different entities say "that's not my area, that's not my job" when you ask a questions. Even on the days when the Clipper folks are out in numbers in logo TShirts pushing the adoption of Clipper! (During the initial rollout you could only add value to your Clipper at a few locations, and for kids' cards you had to go to SFMTA with passport in hand and stand in line to sign up, then wait for the snail mail. Still possibly the same?) Great idea to have EZRider car hangtag attached to a clipper card so I don't have to park each day with quarters and dollar bills. That part works great. BUT another bad system rollout! This uses my Clipper card to log my parking, but won't take payment from my Clipper account. A personal credit card needs to be used in addition to that set up with my Clipper account. This means I cannot get parking tax credit from my current employer, AND I need separate administration accounts and accounting. ALSO - I cannot hook the EZrider hangtag account to two different clipper cards, SO when my daughter and I share a car, it is a nightmare of transferring my high dollar BART card to her and then not having it on hand for my later use. Don't they want us to carpool and carshare???? ALSO - They do not want to change my hangtag assignment to a different card - one that the two of us can pass back and forth. The Clipper Direct folks don't want me moving THEIR account to another card either. I have hours into chasing this. Can they get a software developer in there to fix this system? It is not rocket science level programming! read more