Can two people use a BART Clipper card?

Can two people use the same card at the same time? No, every rider needs their own card or device (phone or watch) to pay for fares.



In 2026, the policy for Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) remains strict: two people cannot use the same Clipper card for a single journey. Each rider is required to have their own individual Clipper card or mobile device with a digital card. This is because the system relies on a "tag-on" and "tag-off" process to calculate distance-based fares; if you were to tag a second person in, the system would fail to track two separate exit points for one card. While some other transit systems allow "pass-backs" or multi-rider tags, BART requires separate accounts to ensure accurate billing and entry/exit data. For families or groups traveling together, each person—including children over a certain age—must carry their own physical card or use their own smartphone via Apple Wallet or Google Wallet to pay their fare at the gate.

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Soon, people using transit in the Bay Area will be able to pay using a credit card. Starting next year, Bay Area transit riders won't need a Clipper card to ride a train or ferry, and instead will be able to pass BART turnstiles or board Muni buses with the simple tap of a credit card.

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The Clipper card is a smart, contactless travel card that can be used all over the Sasn Francisco Bay Area. Travelers, both residents and tourists, can add value to their card either as they go or automatically, depending on what works best for them.

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6.1 Clipper® Card Registration: 2 All Youth and Senior Clipper® cards, as well as RTC Discount Cards and cards loaded with the Clipper® START(SM) discount, are automatically registered, not transferable, and can be used only by the person identified in the Clipper® customer database.

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Can I use my Clipper card to pay the fare of a person traveling with me? Clipper cards are for individual use. Each rider 5 years of age or older must have his/her own card.

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Registered cardholders can complete and sign a form authorizing another individual to act on behalf of the cardholder. To request a form and find out more information about the authorization requirements, please contact Clipper Customer Service at 877.878. 8883 (TDD/TTY 711 or 800.735. 2929).

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There is a non-refundable $3 fee for the purchase of a Clipper® Card through this Application.

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To request a balance transfer, please contact Clipper Customer Service at 877.878. 8883 (TTY/TDD 711 or 800.735. 2929). Note: We can only transfer cash value; monthly passes and discount tickets cannot be transferred.

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In celebration of BART's upcoming 50th anniversary on September 11, BART is offering a 50% discount for the entire month of September 2022. The reduced fare will be automatically deducted when using Clipper at the fare gates.

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You can bring your lunch or groceries onto a train, just please don't eat it, he said. BART has a no eating or drinking policy in the Paid Areas in an effort to keep the trains and stations as clean as possible.

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Transit Saves You Money The average BART fare is approximately $3.96. For the same price as one year of car ownership, you could take nearly 3,000 average trips on BART – or about seven trips a day. Use our Fare Calculator to determine the exact cost of your trip.

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BART makes it extremely easy to get a ticket from the San Francisco airport to downtown San Francisco. All you need to do is use one of the ticket vending machines to buy a one-way ticket for each passenger, which costs about $10.15 per person for a one-way ticket and $20.30 for a round trip.

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