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TransLink®

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TransLink card

TransLink® Smart Cards Now Widely Available

Sept. 17, 2007
TransLink is the new, more convenient way to pay for transit in the Bay Area. Use your TransLink card now on all AC Transit and Dumbarton Express buses and all Golden Gate Transit and Ferry routes. TransLink cards are available online at www.translink.org, at many retail locations and transit agency ticket offices, or by calling the TransLink Customer Service Center at 1-877-878-8883.

With a single reloadable TransLink smart card, riders can:

  • take transit without worrying about having exact change or carrying paper passes or tickets
  • avoid a trip to the store or standing in line to buy a transit pass or ticket book
  • benefit from the security of card and balance replacement if their TransLink card is lost or stolen
  • skip the hassle of dealing with paper transfers
  • get on the bus, train or ferry faster

TransLink being phased into operation

The card was tested with six transit agencies in a pilot program beginning in February 2002 and then was rolled out on a limited basis on AC Transit and Golden Gate Transit and Ferry in November 2006. Now all riders on those two transit services, as well as Dumbarton Express, will be able to get a card. BART, Muni and Caltrain will begin accepting TransLink in 2008, followed by SamTrans and VTA in 2009. Eventually all Bay Area transit agencies will accept TransLink.

With TransLink now up and running on all AC Transit, Golden Gate Transit and Ferry, and Dumbarton Express routes, the system will continue rolling out in phases to other transit agencies. BART, Muni and Caltrain are scheduled to begin accepting TransLink next, with SamTrans and Santa Clara VTA to follow. Nineteen additional Bay Area transit agencies will allow payment with TransLink by 2010. Once all agencies are on board, a customer will be able to ride every transit system from San Jose to Santa Rosa with just one card.

How TransLink works

The credit card-sized TransLink card stores value in the form of electronic cash (e-cash) and transit passes. To pay a fare, a rider simply “tags” the card by touching it to one of the card readers installed on buses or at the entrance to transit stations or terminals and — in an instant — the card reader automatically deducts the correct fare and applies any appropriate discounts, including transfers. Transit riders will never again have to fumble for exact change or juggle multiple passes and tickets.

Convenience and security are key benefits

Designed to make it easier to pay for transit, TransLink provides several convenient options for getting a card and loading value onto it. Customers can order TransLink cards — and add value to them — online, by phone or by mail, or pick up a card at participating retail locations and transit agency ticket offices. Customers also can add value at self-serve Add Value Machines located in transit stations, or through an employee transit benefit program (such as Commuter Check®).

With TransLink’s convenient Autoload feature, customers can even set up their cards to reload automatically using a secure funds transfer from a bank account or credit card. The TransLink card is free for customers who set up Autoload, or just $5 without Autoload.

TransLink also provides financial protection. Today, if customers lose their cash fare or paper transit passes or tickets they cannot replace the money they’ve lost. But with TransLink, customers with registered cards are eligible for card replacement and balance restoration for a small fee in the event of card theft or loss.
Recruiting TransLink Customers

Testing and development of TransLink

Testing of the TransLink program involved all major modes of public transportation in the Bay Area, including buses, trains, light-rail and ferries. More than 5,000 volunteers participated in the original six-month pilot program that begin in 2002, with cardholders rating satisfaction at 9 out of a possible 10.

Since the program expanded to a limited customer base on AC Transit and Golden Gate Transit and Ferry in November 2006, interest in the card has grown substantially. As of July 2007, more than 9,000 cards were in circulation, and the system recorded an average of 4,700 weekday boardings. The most common feedback received by far has been questions about when TransLink would be available for more transit services.

Funding and operations of TransLink

The TransLink is a joint effort of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), AC Transit, BART, Caltrain, Golden Gate Transit, Muni, SamTrans, Santa Clara VTA and all other Bay Area transit agencies. MTC has funded the system’s development through a combination of federal, state and regional funds.

TransLink is managed by the TransLink Consortium, which includes MTC and the major transit agencies in the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area. The TransLink system is operated through a contract with Motorola, Inc.

For more information about TransLink, please contact John Goodwin in MTC’s Public Information Office at 510-817-5862 or jgoodwin@mtc.ca.gov.