Youth Clipper Card Applicant Process Streamlined - Photo Requirement Eliminated for AC Transit 31-Day Pass Eligibility

New word from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission is all youth Clipper card users can now obtain their AC Transit 31-day passes without the need to have a specialized Clipper card with their photo on it (only issued by AC Transit).  This also allows all youth card applicants to be able to apply through any transit agency's ticket office, email, or fax.

The Commission stated the AC Transit Board of Directors eliminated the photo on card requirement because it was a hindrance to all youth in the transit service area to get a specialized card to be eligible to purchase the 31-day pass.

In the Past
Before the change in this policy, any youth needing to purchase a 31-day pass for AC Transit must obtain a special Clipper card that's only issued by AC Transit.  The special card requires the youth to have their photo taken by AC Transit staff and put on the card.

For youth without the special AC Transit endorsed Clipper card, the passenger did not have the option to purchase a 31-day pass on their card, but was still eligible to pay the youth single-ride fare with e-cash.

For youth needing the specialized card, this was a frustrating process for them.  No other transit agency required youth card applicants to go through the additional hoops, and that caused massive delays for AC Transit, upset parents who could not get the cards in time for the school year, and youth forced to pay cash fare and spend more money than the price of a pass.

Also, for any youth cardholder that lost their card, the card can only be re-issued by AC Transit, unlike the various and easier methods to obtain a replacement for non-AC Transit youth card users.

Akit's Opinions
It's a great step to streamlining the process, but the question I want to ask AC Transit is: Why did you create a policy to put a photo on each youth card?  They knew the Clipper card program will be reaching millions of Bay Area citizens and the number of applicants was going to explode when the 31-day youth mag stripe pass was to be eliminated and only be sold on Clipper cards, and other transit agencies don't take a photograph at all.

What was really the point?  Prevent parents from stealing the card and riding the buses for cheap?  Like the bus drivers even care to look at one's card or ask questions.  They hear the single beep, and all is well.

The possibility of card abuse is real.  But by not streamlining the youth card applicant process that's universal with other transit agencies, it definitely outweighs the number of adults abusing the youth card's special privileges.

Muni Modifies & Clarifies the Definition of "Proof of Payment" & Expired Transfers

Muni fare inspectors, many of us don't like them, but they do one thing well, make sure everyone pays their "fare share" for riding public transportation.

In a blog post I did just a year ago, I asked Muni to clarify the "Proof of Payment" system. The program's rules was too complex and didn't make a lot of sense to everyone. My particular topic with the POP system was the expired transfer policy and how that is blurred between what Muni called "POP lines" and "non-POP lines."

One of the reasons why I wrote the blog post is accusations from the Chinese American communities of fare inspectors citing people for expired transfers, but I knew the expired transfer policy was much different on buses than trains.

Let's take a look at the rules:

• Muni defined "POP lines" as all metro lines.
  
• Muni defined "non-POP lines" as all bus lines and the F-Market.

Let's say I ride a Muni bus (a "non-POP" line), board the bus with an unexpired paper transfer and it expired during the journey... here's what Muni's POP rule said:

"There is no need to correct the problem on non-POP lines, but you will not be able to subsequently board a POP line or enter the paid area of a subway station without obtaining Proof of Payment."

I challenged Muni to clean-up their rules to make it simpler and universal across all Muni modes of service as the non-POP and POP lines was so blurred in conjunction with the expired transfer policy.

As a result, I did a little looking around the current Proof of Payment policy for Muni under their "expired transfer" FAQ section. Here's what says now:

What if your Proof of Payment expires during your trip?

If you have a paper transfer:

• Don't get stuck entering with a transfer that will later expire while you are waiting on a platform or riding in a vehicle. If you are not sure your transfer will last, then pay for a fresh trip on the surface or at a Ticket Vending Machine in the subway.
• If your Proof of Payment is about to expire, be sure to obtain a new Proof of Payment before the old one expires.
• If your Proof of Payment has expired and you are riding a Proof of Payment vehicle,
• If you are on the surface, go pay your fare immediately if it is safe to do so, and get a transfer as Proof of Payment, or else exit the vehicle at the next stop.
• If you are inside the paid area of a Muni station, or on a vehicle in the subway, exit the station and obtain Proof of Payment .
• Don't try this if Proof of Payment enforcement officers are aboard the vehicle or present in the paid area of the station; it is too late to correct the problem.

If you have a transfer on a Clipper card or Muni ticket:

• You will need to have cash or a ride available on your card or ticket for a new payment.
• If the transfer loaded on your card or ticket is going to expire during your trip, do not board the second car of a two-car train unless you are absolutely certain your card or ticket has sufficient cash or ride value to pay an additional fare.
• You will need to track when your transfer will expire.
• Upon the 90-minute transfer expiring, you will need to re-tap and hold your card or ticket to a Clipper reader to get an additional 90 minutes of travel time.
• If the reader rejects your card or ticket, you will need to go to the operator and pay a fare in cash and receive a paper transfer.

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In summary, here's what Muni changed after my challenge to clean-up the rules:

1. There is no such thing as a "non-POP lines" that made separate and confusing rules, currently all Muni lines are now "POP lines." This means the rules for proof of payment is the same regardless of whatever mode of service you take on Muni.
   
2. If riding the bus with a transfer that is unexpired when boarding, but expires while aboard the bus, it's now considered a violation; unlike the old rule saying it's okay, but can't ride the next bus without paying for a new transfer.
3. They now warn passengers paying with e-cash on a Clipper card to keep time of when the e-transfer will expire vs. a paper transfer that easily tells when it expires (when paying cash).

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Muni should at least do some other things to clean-up the rules a little more:
The website's POP rules was updated to end the blurred policies regarding non-POP lines, but many of the sentences still reflects the old rule about when the phrase "POP lines" meant metro lines only.

Here's an example I found on the POP website today. This was found as a general question, and not specific to buses or metro only:

How do you board a Muni vehicle on the street or at an outside Muni station, excluding West Portal Station?

If you already have Proof of Payment:

• Make sure you have your Proof of Payment before boarding, and that it will be valid for the duration of your entire trip within the Muni Metro System.

In this particular example, Muni's POP website didn't do a great job of doing a full clean-up after redefining what a "POP line" is. They still mention in portions of their website that the POP rules still applies to the METRO ONLY.

They should rephrase the bullet point like this:

• Make sure you have your Proof of Payment before boarding, and that it will be valid for the duration of your entire trip within the Muni system.

There's other parts of the Muni website that needs to be cleaned-up to make sure the rules are the same throughout the entire system and not separated by metro lines and non-metro lines. If there's a Muni official who can read and rephrase words in the the POP websites here and here, the public would appreciate it.

The Food Police Hates You in Livermore

I don't usually report on items outside of San Francisco or the transit sector, but I felt this blog entry was important enough to report on because I'd get upset too at the way people are being treated.

In Livermore's downtown district, there is a live concert program known as "Concerts on the Green" (a.k.a. "Tuesday Tunes") that has been happening in the area for the past six years every Tuesday evening during the summer. The downtown business association who runs the concert series obtains all the permits and items needed to operate a free concert at an outdoor public venue at Livermore Plaza.

But it seems the concert series is turning the public's faces red since the "food police" has been checking if the food and beverages they bring to the concerts are only purchased from vendors from the downtown business area. The way they check on the food and beverages is by reviewing the receipts issued.

People in Livermore are mad. A Facebook page was created for people to vent their frustration on the issue because the tradition has been people have been allowed to provide their own food and beverages from ANYWHERE, even if it was purchased outside of downtown. People have also protested this policy by holding a separate picnic near the actual concert site where they bring their own food, regardless if purchased from downtown or not.

The banging of pots and pans has received the attention of the Contra Costa Times with a front page article and KGO-TV news. The people on the Facebook page mentioned the KGO report is not entirely correct stating the outside food ban includes merchants/vendors outside of the business district, not simply city limits.

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The downtown association's message is to "buy downtown" in which I want to defy that rule. Why should I purchase food from some kind of monopoly at a free public concert on public property?

This is really discouraging for visitors who attend the concerts. Within the city limits, there's a Trader Joes and Safeway, and yes, the tasty sandwiches and bags of chips are banned at the concert. There is a KFC within the downtown limits and that's OK, but bringing other KFC from another Livermore location is banned too.

I'm one of the many people who would throw away their receipts in the garbage can upon purchasing an item, unless if I paid it with a credit card. If I buy a few bottles of soda before I go have a picnic with my friends, do I carry my receipt? Not likely.

How about I bake my own goodies? What's wrong with homemade stuff to share with friends? Want a cookie?

The situation would be different if the event was held on the streets with businesses surrounding it (e.g. Fillmore Jazz Festival and Union Street Festival). It would be totally unethical for festival/concert organizers to hold an event and say they won't allow food purchased from vendors just steps away from the concert stage or purchased from vendors not "on the block." Sure, the festival/concert can have their own food booths (usually overpriced), but people have a choice to buy locally or bring in their own goodies and enjoy the booths and free music.

Weird E-mail Response from the SF Giants and AT&T Park

I want to share with you an e-mail I sent to the SF Giants/AT&T Park management about one of their new policies to inspect ticketholders to gain access to the main concourse that covers the bleacher and arcade sections (includes behind the main scoreboard). Here is my letter:

Dear AT&T Park Representative,

I attended last night's game (Friday, May 15, 2009) and I noticed at the pathway where the lower box and bleachers section is located, there were AT&T Park employees inspecting people's tickets to see if they were sitting in the bleacher and arcade sections. I am wondering, why did the ballpark enforce this policy? As I remember the original ballpark policy, any ticketholder, regardless of which section, is free to roam around the main pathways of the bleacher and arcade sections, including the "Build a Bear/Seal" workshop, Coca Cola Bottle, and the specialty vendors behind the scoreboard.

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Here is their reply I just received today:

Thank you for writing.

Unfortunately the demographics and behaviors of the audience we have been entertaining at certain Giants games at AT&T Park are changing for the worse. In an attempt to regain control of our ballpark for all Giants games, and have a more family friendly environment, we have adopted several measures that taken singly have little effect, but taken together have had a significant mitigating influence in under age drinking of alcoholic beverages, and aggressive fan behavior. One segment of our program involves a more stringent gate search of packages and containers brought in by our guests.

The general policy is as follows:
Factory-sealed plastic bottles and soft-sided juice containers containing non-alcoholic beverages are allowed in AT&T Park . Unsealed plastic bottles and soft-sided containers will be subject to inspection and may be confiscated. Glass and metal cans are not permitted for any game. Alcoholic beverages are not permitted from outside the ballpark for any game.

For high profile games this policy is enforced as strictly as is reasonable from the point of view of the San Francisco Police, the California Alcohol Control Board, Major League Baseball, and the San Francisco Giants to prevent outside alcoholic beverages coming through our gates. The high profile game policy is in force for all Friday and Saturday night games, and a few other night games that because of the Giants opponent, and related fan behavior challenges we have historically encountered at these games we have labeled as “high profile night games” (i.e. the Dodger, Mets, Cubs, A’s).

I am happy to report AT&T Park remains one of a shrinking minority of Major League ballparks that continues welcome guests to carry in their own food and non-alcoholic beverages to baseball games.

Another segment of this effort is controlling the numbers of guests permitted onto the concourse above the bleachers and the Arcade by limiting it to folks who have tickets in those locations and parents with children who want to go to the Build-a-bear Store, and Coca Cola Fan Lot. This procedure is currently in place only for Friday and Saturday night games

Best regards,
Rick

Rick Mears
Vice President, Guest Services
San Francisco Giants Baseball Club
AT&T Park

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This is an odd response from the management. It looks like Rick Mears copied and pasted a template letter and just added the last paragraph about access to the bleacher/arcade section (NOT PROFESSIONAL AT ALL). My e-mailed question didn't ask about the alcohol policy or "high profile" games, I just wanted to know about the main concourse walkway in the outfield areas. The reply should have just briefly stated the Friday/Saturday access policy, and I would have been satisfied with the answer.

For the alcohol policy: I questioned the Giants about it last year at this link.

And just to add a little gas to the fire, what's the policy for SRO (Standing Room Only) ticketholders on Friday and Saturday games? Nothing personal, but with a SRO ticket, the views suck in the lower box behind the last row of lower box seats. Plus, the ticket inspection policy doesn't really work when people enter the gate at McCovey Cove (like the ferry passengers) or claims to have their "family members" at Build a Bear.

Lastly: I don't support underage drinking, and this ballpark will continue to kill-off longstanding policies and privileges to their loving fans. You wonder why the ballpark is losing money, they only limit you to one BEER per visit; they used to allow you to buy two at a time. What's next? No more outside food? Amici's pizza and Starbucks is much better than some of the expensive stuff in the park.

Translink and SF Muni listens to Akit's blog

There's an odd feeling in the air today. No, it's not the rain, and it's not those steroid pumped Tour of California bicyclists; I'm talking about Translink and SFMTA/Muni.

It looks like they are taking the time to read my recent postings about Translink and taking action on some missing documents and some simple requests. Just recently, the first survey to trial cardholders was released after mentioning it in this posting.

But more importantly is the Translink and Muni people are really getting into the groove of public relations (I guess they want the trial program to run successfully). Due to a posting on my blog demanding Translink and Muni to provide a letter that confirm trial users' participation when they have an existing card, I mentioned that the letter can provide additional support and protection when confronting a hostile (or sometimes stupid) Muni employee. SFMTA and Translink released a PDF copy of the letter online on the Translink website.

Read the letter from Executive Director Nat Ford here (PDF file). You can also read the text of the letter near the bottom of this blog posting.

They have also attached some additional documents to the Translink website about Muni. The documents was provided to trial users via snail mail who received a new card, but was not provided to existing cardholders who simply registered online. Muni and Translink corrected these errors and also posted it online:

• They provided a print-out copy of their "pocket guide" on how to use the green colored card on Muni vehicles.
• There is a "Tag 2 Win" contest where registered (Muni) cardholders who use their Translink card on any Muni vehicle, will be entered in a drawing for free prizes including an iPod, gift cards, cameras, and others. Even more interesting, the more you tag your card, the more entries into the drawing. So "tag" your card like a crazy person. $1.50 fare for a free gift? Just go nuts until that transfer expires.

Read Muni's "pocket guide" on Translink here (PDF file).
Read Muni's "Tag 2 Win" contest rules here (PDF file).

How interesting... Translink and Muni officials do read my blog after all. You see, even the little guys (the average citizen) can make a major transit agency and program change their ways.

If you want see the place where the documents are posted, please visit: http://www.translink.org/TranslinkWeb/muni/index.do

(Photo is from Translink website)

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Below is the text from the letter from Nat Ford:
Dear Valued Muni Customer:

We appreciate your participation in the Muni TransLink® trial group.

In this packet you will find a free TransLink card, a brochure on how to use your card, a pocket guide to using TransLink on Muni and information about how you can win prizes just by tagging your TransLink card on Muni.

As a participant in the trial group, your card is already registered under your name; however, you must call the TransLink Customer Service Center at 877-878-8883 to set up your “My TransLink” account. Your “My TransLink” account allows you to manage your account, protect your card balance, add value to your card and set up Autoload to automatically reload fare value on your card.

You can also use your TransLink card to pay for fares on AC Transit and Golden Gate Transit and Ferry by adding electronic fare value (e-cash) or corresponding transit agency passes to your card. Please note: TransLink is available on all Muni buses, light rail trains and historic streetcars. TransLink is not yet available on cable cars, Caltrain or BART (including inside Metro stations).

We thank you for agreeing to periodically complete surveys about your experience using TransLink throughout the trial phase. As a measure of our appreciation for your time and feedback, Muni will be offering additional incentives for completing and submitting your survey forms.

Again, thank you for your participation. The feedback that you provide is essential to TransLink’s success on Muni. Together, we can make using Bay Area transit more convenient.

Sincerely, Nathaniel P. Ford, Sr.,
Executive Director/CEO
San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency

AT&T Park Muni Vendors MUST accept Muni Tokens too

Quick update before I get to my posting:

SF Muni is starting to make a little progress. I don't know if it is because of my blog or that I informed Phil Bronstein about the problem, but there's some changes:

One thing is they finally got their website FULLY (not partially) up to date. What I mean by "partially" is that one part of the page was correct with the new policy, while scrolling down at the bottom was incorrect.

Now the page clearly says:
"BART discount coupons are accepted" in the "Major Points" section.
"Muni to BART" discount coupons may be used" in the "Leaving the Ballpark" section.

Now, back to the topic!

Here's the next task for Muni and its vendors at AT&T Park, how about accepting tokens and the token tickets too? They are the same fare media as paying in cash.

Their website says:
"Muni tokens or token coupons cannot be used at this time to purchase proof of payment at the Giants sales window" in the "Leaving the Ballpark" section.

I use Muni token tickets because it is easier to carry than a handful of quarters and dollar bills. Plus, I can purchase these with my Commuter Checks, a program that issues me a check for public transit media (passes, tickets, etc.) and is automatically deducted pre-tax from my payroll.

So why not Muni?

If your policy says: "Please be prepared to show your Proof of Payment to Muni staff working the entrance lines to Muni Metro. If you do not have proof of payment, you will be sent back to the Giants sales window to purchase a ticket."

And a MUNI TOKEN OR TOKEN TICKET is a legal Muni fare, why can't AT&T park take it too so passengers can get their "Proof of Payment?" If the inspector is going to kick your ass for not letting you through and the vendor won't give you a transfer because all you have is a token at hand, that's just crazy.

Maybe I should just put the point across again, SF Muni promised its citizens that the token and token ticket is a LEGAL FARE for all Muni rides (except for Cable Cars and Candlestick Park express buses), so why not honor it for the return ride home from AT&T Park? Muni is simply dishonoring their agreement again to its citizens.

Do I once again need to walk to a 30 Stockton bus stop, give my token ticket to the driver, get a transfer, and walk back to the AT&T park metro platform for the ride home? Hell no.