Clipper Card System Goes Down, Free-For-All Ensues For BART and Muni

The Clipper card system outage disrupted services on BART, Muni, and Caltrain Tuesday morning, resulting in free rides for many commuters. The failure began around 7 am, prompting alerts from transit agencies on social media. BART adopted a strategy of leaving fare gates open to mitigate congestion and confusion among riders. Caltrain committed to resolving the issue swiftly, while Muni fare gates also remained open until the problem was addressed. This disruption occurred on a day when multiple agencies raised fares, including a ten-cent increase for Muni and a 25-cent rise for Caltrain.

The coincidence of the fare hikes and the payment system failure raises questions about potential links between the two events. Authorities have not yet provided information regarding the cause of the outage. The situation remains fluid as agencies work to restore normal operations.