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

  • August 15, 2019
    Detroit introduces unified bus payment system
    Detroit authorities have launched a ticketing scheme to encourage bus ridership – a new venture which dovetails with existing initiatives to improve mobility, Ben Spencer reports The Detroit Department of Transportation (DDoT) has partnered with the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) to launch a unified payment system – called Dart - for the US region’s buses. Detroit’s mayor Mike Duggan says: “Dart will bring our two systems closer together with seamless transfers and more f
    Read More
  • November 22, 2016
    Cubic to enhance MTA fare collection system
    Cubic Transportation Systems (CTS) is to carry out a major upgrade to the Maryland Transit Authority’s (MTA) automatic fare collection (AFC) system, under a US$4.8 million contract modification which also includes setting the foundation for new features and functionality. The upgraded system will provide the MTA with the opportunity to accept new payment methods, such as mobile payments, as well as add new features, including a new customer web portal and an integration path with third-party transport servi
    Read More
  • November 28, 2018
    CTS extends contactless payments to Sydney's trains
    Cubic Transportation Systems (CTS) is extending Sydney’s contactless payment system beyond light rail and ferries to include the Australian city’s train network. The technology allows commuters to pay for ticketing via credit cards, smart watches and other electronic devices, alongside the Opal card. CTS’s Asia-Pacific team and Transport for New South Wales initially made the contactless system available for the city’s Manly ferry service in 2017. In March this year, the contactless system was ext
    Read More
  • October 9, 2015
    Transport for London and Cubic scoop another major ticketing award
    Cubic Transportation Systems (CTS) and Transport for London (TfL)’s contactless bankcard system have been awarded the Most Innovative Transport Project prize at the recent National Transport Awards, the seventh major award this year for Cubic and TfL’s contactless system. Launched in 2012, the contactless bankcard system was extended in 2014 to cover London’s entire transit network – including Tube, rail, bus and tram services. Since the introduction of the contactless payment scheme, more than 180 milli
    Read More

Highlighted Content