Can someone explain visitor transportation options? We want a 3 day pas to incorporate all modes (San Jose: credit)

[mamainfl]

We will be there in April for 4 days. We want to purchase a 3 day pass for all five of us (one H.S. student, one college student) We would like the pass that is good for all modes of public transportation. Can someone please tell me the name of the card I should purchase, and where to purchase them? Thanks!!

[SFBayBoomer]

Originally Posted by mamainfl

We will be there in April for 4 days. We want to purchase a 3 day pass for all five of us (one H.S. student, one college student) We would like the pass that is good for all modes of public transportation. Can someone please tell me the name of the card I should purchase, and where to purchase them? Thanks!!

Just use your favorite browser with the same words you have used here.

"3-Day Visitor Passport San Francisco"

https://www.sfmta.com/fares/3-day-visitor-passport

[capoeira]

Originally Posted by mamainfl

We will be there in April for 4 days. We want to purchase a 3 day pass for all five of us (one H.S. student, one college student) We would like the pass that is good for all modes of public transportation. Can someone please tell me the name of the card I should purchase, and where to purchase them? Thanks!!

The cheapest option for most visitors is the one day phone app muni pass for only $5. This includes buses and Muni Metro trains.

https://www.sfmta.com/blog/new-one-d...ble-munimobile

One can also get a 3 day visitor passport for $29 or $34. This is good for buses, metro trains and the Cable Cars.

https://www.sfmta.com/fares/3-day-visitor-passport

There are no passes for Bart. It is pay per ride. One can buy paper tickets at the stations or load $$ on a Clipper Card to pay ahead of time. It is unlikely a SF visitor will need to ride Bart within the city of SF unless they want to visit 24th and Mission. Bart is useful for visitors to get from the airport to downtown.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

I just recently went vehicle-free, so I just recently learned about using the Clipper Card and buying passes online, and adding cash value to it for BART.

I looked on the Clippercard website, and you could order your clipper cards online, and add the 3-day Muni visitor pass to them online. The nice thing about having a clippercard, is that you just tag it to the clippercard pad on the bus, etc., and just board. You don't have to fumble for your phones. You'd all have to have your own phone.

If you are also going to use BART, you can just add cash value to the clippercard online, or at a kiosk in the BART station using a credit or debit card. You don't have to have cash, or worry about keeping track of different tickets.

I don't know how fancy you want to get, but I bought a card holder for mine on Amazon that has a carabiner and retractable cord, so I can just hook it onto a belt loop on my jeans. That way I don't have to fumble for it or try putting it into and out of a wallet, and I won't lose it. It stays attached to my jeans, and I can just pull it easily out to tag it on the pad, and the cord is nice and long and retracts easily.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I added a piece of paper in mine with my contact info in case it gets lost, and it works fine with the piece of paper in with the card when tagging it. So, you could put a piece of paper in each one with each family member's names on them, so they can keep track of their own cards.

Here's a Clipper Card video:

https://www.clippercard.com/ClipperW...tsTranslink.do

You can order one online and it would take around 10 days to get them:

https://www.clippercard.com/ClipperWeb/getTranslink.do

Then, you can buy the Muni 3 day passes on the clipper website for each card, and you could add cash value to them, for using on BART, if you wanted to.

Something I found confusing on the website, is the fact that your account might show zero value on the card, even after it tells you that you paid for the 3-day pass. But, you'll see the pass under "products ready for pickup". To "pickup" a pass, you tag it on the Clipper pad when you board a bus, etc. That's how you pick it up. That's how you start your 3 day pass.

I also looked up if there's be a discount for a teenager or student, and it looks like the teenager could get a youth pass, but the 3 day pass doesn't give youth discounts - all 3-day passes cost the same. So, it would only matter on BART. Not sure it if would be worth the hassle. You'd have to mail them proof of age:

https://www.clippercard.com/ClipperW...ounts/youth.do

Have a great trip!

[marcopolo666]

Clipper Cards are great for people living in the area, but not as great for people "just visiting" (you have to 'buy' a card for $5, and you lose any money you have left on the card when you leave - well, it stays on the card, so you can use it next time you come back).

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

Originally Posted by marcopolo666

Clipper Cards are great for people living in the area, but not as great for people "just visiting" (you have to 'buy' a card for $5, and you lose any money you have left on the card when you leave - well, it stays on the card, so you can use it next time you come back).

No, the cost to buy one is $3.00, and if you have over $5.00 left on the card, you can get a refund. They do charge a $5.00 fee to process refunds, so your refund request has to be over $5.00.

[marcopolo666]

Thx - good to know! (They've obviously changed it since I got mine .... 6 years ago(?).

(I got mine the first 3 months it was available, and it was free, but I had to put $20 on it. No problem, I've spent lots more than that.)

But everybody has to have their own card, so a family of 5 will pay ... $25 just to use the card for 3 days.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

I just realized that maybe the $3.00 price is just for buying it online? Maybe it's $5.00 if you buy it in a store.

[davdaven]

Clipper cards are $3 no matter where they are purchased. Clipper cards are great if you plan on riding BART 6 times or any ferry once, as there is a 50¢ discount on BART and the discount on ferries is several dollars per trip. However, if you don't meet the minimums, they aren't worth getting for a one-time visit. Especially for youths 18 and under, who get a 50% discount on most things and would have to fill out special paperwork to get the correct type of card, it's easier to pay with cash or the Muni app. Also, please note that BART also has an app, which provides a discount of 25% for groups of 2 or more who ride together to/from SFO or OAK. Sorry this is so convoluted, but the Bay Area has 28 different transit systems and regional integration is very poor.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

Originally Posted by davdaven

Clipper cards are $3 no matter where they are purchased. Clipper cards are great if you plan on riding BART 6 times or any ferry once, as there is a 50¢ discount on BART and the discount on ferries is several dollars per trip. However, if you don't meet the minimums, they aren't worth getting for a one-time visit. Especially for youths 18 and under, who get a 50% discount on most things and would have to fill out special paperwork to get the correct type of card, it's easier to pay with cash or the Muni app. Also, please note that BART also has an app, which provides a discount of 25% for groups of 2 or more who ride together to/from SFO or OAK. Sorry this is so convoluted, but the Bay Area has 28 different transit systems and regional integration is very poor.

So true. It can get really complicated. Living here, I love my Clipper card, because I get a discounted senior pass for the San Jose area, and discounted fares on all other Bay Area options, and can just add cash to my card for the other options when I need them. It's just nice to carry one card and not deal with a bunch of different tickets, or depend on my phone - or, even show everyone on the bus what kind of phone I have, which I'm not comfortable with.