Clipper card problem not big enough for change, says BART
22 November, 2010
category: Contactless, Transit
Bay Area transportation officials say they are not planning on changing the Clipper contactless fare card in spite of recent fare dodging problems, according to mercurynews.com.
A number of riders have been avoiding paying full fares on Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) trains, exploiting Clipper cards’ negative balance feature. However, Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) officials view the number as too small to warrant changing the system.
“Yes, there are some people who are exploiting the customer convenience of the card, but the number of bad apples is small,” said John Goodwin, a spokesman for the MTC. “We’re going to monitor the situation, but we don’t see the need for a change now.”
According to Mercury News, the number of riders with negative Clipper card balances has jumped from 40 per day to 200 since reports have surfaced online about the scam.
BART officials report that the average negative balance is $1.82, but most Clipper card users with negative balances are using them as intended.
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