Clipper-Card

The Clipper Card (English clipper card, Chinese路 路通) is the contactless rechargeable chip card for the passenger in the San Francisco Bay Area. After long delays its precursor, the Translink card, it is now accepted by eight transport companies. The current version is based on the NFC technology and can be read by smartphones.

History

The numerous transportation companies in the Bay Area are interlocked many transfer points, however, have completely independent tariff systems. There is no traffic and no composite Tarifverbund, but there is a State Planning Authority Metropolitan Transportation Commission, MTC short, which exists since 1970 and is funded by the nine counties of the Bay Area. In addition to planning law, the MTC is also funding organization and third-party funding for projects that improve local transport.

The earliest predecessor of the Clipper card is found in the Translink program of urban underground society BART, since 1993 a practical study led by four million dollars from federal funds. Due to technical problems the installed boards with magnetic stripes, this project was abandoned after two years.

In 1998, the idea of the MTC was revived. The aim was to bring a TransLink card with cross function to 2001 are used.. The system was developed by the joint venture ERG Motorola consisting of the Australian ERG Group and the American Motorola Although introduced since April 1999 2002, the introduction went extremely slowly - for about the comparable Oyster card ( from 2003) in London already successfully ran, it was until 2009 only five transport companies who accepted the Translink card.

The MTC planned for 2010, then relaunched and renamed in the course of the map from 16 June 2010 to clipper card (like clippers that are linked historically with the region). In October 2010, a Chinese official designation was (Chinese ethnic groups make up the largest population group in the region) introduced the name路 路通(Pinyin: Lulutong ) translates Everywhere - Hinfahr card. New billing service is the Cubic Transportation Systems, which looks after internationally dozens of public transport systems. By September 2011, the acceptance could be extended to eight transport undertakings, together account for 80 percent of the transportation service, another 25 show interest (but are for the many small bus companies, the acquisition and operating costs quite high. Funding from the MTC in "Phase III " was supposed to come the end of 2012, but this is not progressed beyond the draft resolution ).

Business

The Clipper Card is accepted by

  • AC Transit, Dumbarton Express, including
  • Bay Area Rapid Transit ( BART) (except AirBART )
  • Caltrain
  • Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District ( Golden Gate Transit and Golden Gate Ferry )
  • SamTrans
  • San Francisco Municipal Railway ( Muni )
  • Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA )
  • San Francisco Bay Ferry (only the routes South San Francisco - Oakland / Alameda, San Francisco - Oakland / Alameda and Harbor Bay)

Major companies that they do not accept, are about Altamont Commuter Express, County Connection Fairfield and Suisun Transit, Santa Rosa CityBus, SolTrans, Sonoma County Transit, Tri Delta Transit, VINE (Napa County), WestCAT, and the WHEELS ( bus company ).

Technology

Be used MIFARE DESFire NXP Semiconductors with ( MF3ICD40 ) chips. They work with the 13.56 MHz frequency for near field communication (as opposed to other contactless cards based on RFID as the more widely used derivatives of the EZ -link card, which are not compatible). The previously used Translink cards work as a contactless smart card -based, but are more accepted by the existing card readers, access systems.

The card reader of the transport companies are not online in the majority with a billing center. Therefore, the current account balance is stored directly on the card, and the systems allow an overdraft up to 11.25 U.S. dollars. Decisive, however, is the central bank balance, which is updated at different times. Also an activated " autoload " (automatic charging at low balance ) only affects the centrally stored value - to simplify some synchronized number stations have been introduced that store when using the current value of the account on the card, so do not regularly a charging station to be visited needs, although a " autoload " but this should be avoided.

With respect to the region it was important to the numerous transition Discounts ( "transfer discount" ) to integrate the settlement system, which were common in place of a transport system. Here, a reduced-price ticket connection could be acquired upon presentation of another ticket. If both transport companies accept the Clipper card, the discount will be applied automatically. Because many bus companies that act as local shuttle service, do not accept the Clipper card, often normal paper tickets must still be solved in order to get the discount can switch.

Magnetic stripe card Altamont Corridor Express EZ-Link
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