Caltrain May Keep 8-Ride Ticket

The Caltrain Board of Directors may decrease the amount of time an 8-ride Caltrain ticket is valid at a meeting on March 1st, instead of eliminating it completely.  

Caltrain announced it may shorten the amount of time a rider can use the 8-ride ticket from 60 days to 30 days, simultaneously shrinking the amount saved by purchasing one from 15 percent of the total cost of eight trips down to 7.5 percent, starting on July 1st.

The transportation agency received 185 comments in response to a previous announcement that these would be eliminated and opted to retain them, said Caltrain spokesperson Christine Dunn.
 
This change in pricing structure is intended to incentivize the use of the Clipper Card, which riders can use to purchase tickets in advance in bulk, according to documents on Caltrain’s website.

The Staff Coordinating Council says this will reduce the Caltrain operating budget deficit.  This along with other tariff changes could generate $1.4 million in revenue during the fiscal year 2013, according to documents on Caltrain’s website.

Other changes to the rates include increasing the price of a Go Pass, which is a sticker that enables unlimited rides on all zones, by $10 to $165 a year. 

Institutions such as Stanford University that purchase these passes for employees would be held to a new standard if the new tariffs are approved by the Board of Directors. The employers would be required to have at least 13,750 participants, which is an increase from the minimum participant amount of 10,850 that is in place.

“Staff also is recommending that the Board authorize an increase to the cost of the paper One-way and Zone Upgrade tickets by 25 cents on the zone fare and Day passes by 50 cents on the zone fare effective no sooner than July 1, 2013 if a significant movement from paper tickets to has not occurred by March 1, 2013,” said Caltrain Spokesperson Christine Dunn.

“A 'significant movement' means at least 50 percent of passenger trips using One-way tickets in a single month are paid for with Clipper e-cash,” Dunn said.