CTS is preferred bidder to upgrade San Francisco Clipper system

Cubic Transportation Systems (CTS) has been chosen by the San Francisco Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) as the preferred bidder to modernise the Clipper fare payment system. Currently, 22 regional transit operators use Clipper in the Bay area, including Caltrain, SamTrans and Union City Transit. The upgraded system will include an integrated mobile app supporting a virtual Clipper card and provide users access to real-time information, top up their accounts, plan trips and allow them to tap
September 10, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
378 Cubic Transportation Systems (CTS) has been chosen by the San Francisco 343 Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) as the preferred bidder to modernise the Clipper fare payment system.


Currently, 22 regional transit operators use Clipper in the Bay area, including Caltrain, SamTrans and Union City Transit.

The upgraded system will include an integrated mobile app supporting a virtual Clipper card and provide users access to real-time information, top up their accounts, plan trips and allow them to tap their phones through fare gates and on buses.

Users will be able to have access to stored value and pass purchases made online and via the mobile app. The system will also be able to accept contactless bank cards and mobile wallet technologies as acceptance grows in the US.

Matt Newsome, vice president and general manager, Western Region, CTS, says the company will bring new features and benefits early, such as mobile and new bus devices, while longer-term upgrades to the back office are completed.

CTS intends to operate the system in partnership with its cloud service partner Microsoft – which will provide the system’s financial, analytic and customer management software.

MTC is due to present the recommendations on 10 September to the Clipper executive board. It will then be considered by MTC’s operations committee on 14 September and then by the full commission on 26 September.

CTS started operating and maintaining the Clipper system on behalf of MTC in 2009.

Related Content

  • April 17, 2024
    Conduent continues New Jersey contactless upgrade
    Company also recently supplied contactless payment options on transit in Pennsylvania
    Read More
  • February 25, 2016
    Cubic installs mobile bus validators for Minneapolis Metro Transit
    Cubic Transportation Systems (CTS) is to install mobile validators on the Minneapolis Metro Transit bus fleet to replace previous card validators used in the Go-To smart card system. The state-of-good-repair project was awarded under a US$5 million contract. The new validators meet Europay, MasterCard and Visa (EMV) compliance and include the capability of adding technologies in the future such as NFC-mobile payments, open payments and account-based processing. Metro Transit ordered more than 2,000
    Read More
  • April 8, 2016
    Cubic Transportation Systems to discuss the future of public transportation
    Representatives from Cubic Transportation Systems (CTS), will speak at the APTA Fare Collection & Revenue Management Summit and TransITech Conference, two events to be held in parallel in San Diego from 11-13 April. The APTA Fare Collection & Revenue Management Summit brings together public and private sector professionals from across the transit industry to discuss lessons learned from recent payment system implementations in public transport and other development projects around the world. The APTA Tr
    Read More
  • November 6, 2015
    Iteris to deliver San Francisco Bay Area 511 traveller system
    Iteris is to deliver the 511 San Francisco Bay Area system integrator, data management & dissemination, and interactive voice response phone system.
    Read More

Highlighted Content