SF MUNI - Cable Car Conductors Lack Training to Handle Translink / Clipper

Little known fact: the standard MUNI pass allows the bearer unlimited rides on the San Francisco cable cars. It is quite easy if you have a paper pass; you just flash it to the conductor. MUNI, however, has been moving away from the paper passes and collaborates with Translink (now Clipper). Clipper allows you to have BART fare, a MUNI pass, and eCash all on one card. It sounds simple, but it is not. Cable car drivers do not know how to scan these new passes.

As a commuter, I take the cable car to and from work every day. Recently I switched over from paper and bought a card. I activated a June MUNI pass on it, and tagged it at the BART station. The first time I used the card, the conductor scanned it and said there was no MUNI pass. I insisted that it was there. Since then, some conductors have argued that I don't have a pass, even though every time I call them, MUNI tells me that my pass is fine. Sometimes the drivers say the scanners never work. Or they say the machines are broken. Or they tell me that they will make me pay next time because my card does not show a pass.

I called MUNI again, and got instructions on how to scan the card. On my way home from work a conductor let me scan the pass myself, following the instructions I was given. The instructions were simple: 1) scan the card, 2) go to or click the "Products" tab, 3) scroll DOWN using the arrows until you see the pass. When you initially scan the card it says 'No Fare,' but you must go through these steps to see the pass. When I gave the instructions a try, it worked and showed my pass. Simple… at least if you are following the instructions.

MUNI needs to train their staff how to operate these new scanners. In the aftermath of recent fare increases, this also raises questions about fiscal responsibility. Let me offer a few statistics. There are 28 single-ended cars in operation on the Powell lines and 12 double-ended cars in operation on the California Street line. Forty cable cars. Forty scanners at $5,000 each. You do the math.


Photo: San Francisco Cable Car By Fred Hsu; Released under the GNU Free Documentation License.