Seniors Invited to Fremont BART Station for Event By BART Director Tom Blalock, District 6

On March 31, 2012 BART will host a Clipper Card outreach event at its Fremont Station, 3000 BART Way. This is a great opportunity for riders 65 years and older to continue their 62.5% BART senior discount and switch over to a senior Clipper Card. The Clipper Card can be used not only on BART, but for AC Transit, (including ferries), Sam Trans, , Muni and Santa Clara Valley Transit (VTA) as well. The 9am-3pm event is a convenient way to pick up a senior or adult Clipper Card and learn details about this transit card from BART Customer Service staff. Local bakery, “Nothing Bundt Cakes,” will have a cake tasting table to sweeten the deal!

To get your senior Clipper Card, you’ll need to bring your valid government issued identification card (ID) that shows you’re eligible for the senior discount. Examples of an acceptable ID include a valid passport, California State ID or driver’s license, City ID or a Mantricula Consular/Consular, alien Registration/Permanent Resident Card.

The Clipper Card is a universal fare payment card created by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) aimed to provide transit customers a convenient way to pay for transit fares on most of the public transit systems that operate in the Bay Area. Until you get your senior Clipper Card, you can still use BART’s senior green paper tickets. Although BART was required to reduce the number of retail outlets that sell discounted BART tickets, you can still get the green tickets by mail. Call Donna Numoto for details at (510) 464-7121.

If you miss this special event, getting your senior Clipper Card requires some planning. You’ll have to bring your ID and a completed Clipper Card application to a participating transit agency or to BART staff at another Clipper Card outreach event. If you’re close to Oakland on weekdays, you can get a card at BART’s at 800 Madison Street or AC Transit’s office at 1600 Franklin Street. In San Francisco, go to the Ferry Building or MUNI’s office at 1 Van Ness Avenue.

Since August 1, 2011 BART has reached out to its customers by hosting 185 outreach events, including 14 in the Fremont, Union City and Newark area where staff distributed 1220 Clipper Cards to seniors. To make sure more seniors get access to Clipper Cards, BART is working with MTC to evaluate the existing card distribution system to determine what additional services and locations are needed to serve our customers.

For other BART outreach events visit: http://bart.gov/news/articles/2012/news20120102.aspx You can also call the Clipper Card staff toll-free at 1 (877) 878-8883.