New Fareboxes, Value Cards & Local Period Passes

Customer Farebox Policies Enforced Effective May 18, 2009

Información en español: Unas Nuevas Cajas de Colectar Dinero y Tarjetas de Valor “Value Cards”

Please note: Effective July 31, 2010, $25, $50 and $75 Value Cards will no longer be accepted on Golden Gate Transit. You must use TransLink/Clipper to receive the discounted fare. Marin Transit local $18 and $36 Value Cards will continue to be available as well as Marin Transit Local Period Passes (daily, 7-day and 31-day passes); these cards and passes are good only for travel solely within Marin County.

On March 16, 2009, Golden Gate Transit (GGT) replaced its old-style fareboxes with new fareboxes that accept the following as fare payment:

Cash (crisp bills work best) and coins
Value Cards – a new, easy way to pay for your bus ride and continue to get the "frequent rider" discount. Value Cards are magnetic strip cards similar to the ones used on BART.
As of July 1, 2009, Period Passes – a new way to pay for your local Marin bus ride. Daily, weekly and monthly passes can be used for an unlimited number of trips within the designated time frame.

TransLink will continue to be accepted on GGT buses, and you'll still tag on and off using the TransLink card reader.

Ride Value discount tickets will be accepted ONLY through June 30, 2009, but not by the new farebox. They must be handed directly to the driver and not placed in the new farebox.

How to Use the New Farebox

How to Use Your New Value Card

How to Use Your New Period Pass

Watch a Video of the Farebox/Value Card in Use!

(links to YouTube)


How to Use the New Farebox When boarding the bus, tell the driver your final destination so the appropriate fare can be charged. Show proper identification (your RTC card or youth ID, for example) to receive a discounted fare.

1.	If Using Cash to Pay Your Fare Insert your cash and coins into the farebox. The new location for the bill-slot and coin-drop is the lower right corner (see figure 1). The farebox will not accept bills over $20. Bills should be flat and unfolded. Drop coins one at a time. If you do not have exact change, you will not receive cash back. If you are due more than $1 in change, you will instead be issued a Change Card that can be used on future bus rides. The value of the Change Card will be printed on the back.
	figure 1	figure 2
2.	If Using a Value Card or Change Card Insert a Value Card (picture side facing you - see figure 2) or Change Card in the activation slot on the top left of the farebox. The farebox will deduct the appropriate fare and the remaining balance will be printed on the back of the card. If you use a Value Card, you will receive the "frequent rider" discount fare. If the remaining balance on your card is less than your appropriate fare, you can use up to three cards (insert the lowest balance card first) to pay your fare. And you can combine the card(s) with cash.

Accepted by the New Farebox Coins and cash Value and Change Cards		NOT Accepted by the New Farebox Ride Value discount tickets (hand ticket to the driver – tickets accepted though June 30, 2009) TransLink cards (continue to use TransLink device to tag on/off) Foreign currency ATM, debit or credit cards

How to Use Your New Value Card In mid March 2009 when the new GFI Odyssey fareboxes are installed, you will have a new, easy way to pay your bus fare – a Value Card. Value Cards come in five denominations – $18, $25, $36, $50 and $75. The $18 and $36 cards are valid for Marin County travel only. The Value Card (see figure 2 above) is the size of a credit card and is printed on sturdy paper with a magnetic stripe on the back. When you use a Value Card, you will get the same discount that you used to get with our discounted bus ticket program. You will also get the youth/senior/disabled/Medicare discount with proper ID. Please note: there is no discounted fare when using the Value Card to travel within San Francisco and Sonoma counties.

1.	Dip Your Card Rather than dropping your discount ticket into the farebox, you will now dip your Value or Change Card in the farebox, similar to how you use an ATM card. The appropriate fare will be deducted and the remaining balance will be printed on the back of the card. Remember to retrieve your Value or Change Card before taking a seat. You will always receive the appropriate discount fare when using a Value or Change Card. If you're an adult, you will receive the 20% discount fare. If you're a senior, person with disabilities or a youth, you will receive the 50% discount fare but only when showing proper identification prior to inserting a Value Card in the farebox. If you're traveling locally within Marin County, you will receive the 10% discount fare. There is no discounted fare when using the Value Card to travel within San Francisco and Sonoma counties.

2.	Take Care of Your Card Value and Change Cards are printed on sturdy paper, but it is very important to keep cards clean and dry. They should not be folded, scratched, torn or cut. Nor should they be written on or laminated. Value and Change Cards are accepted for payment of your GGT bus fare only. They are non-refundable and not exchangeable.

	$18 Value Card (Marin local travel only)	$25 Value Card	$36 Value Card (Marin local travel only)	$50 Value Card	$75 Value Card

How to Use Your New Period Pass

Passes are available for unlimited local bus rides for a day, a week or a month, and are available for adults, youth and seniors/persons with disabilities. Day Passes are issued from the farebox onboard all GGT and Marin Transit Community Shuttles and Stagecoach buses operating within Marin County. Weekly (7-day) and Monthly (31-day) Passes can be purchased at several local vendors.

Since Period Passes provide unlimited trips in a given time period, you no longer need to get transfers from the driver. Simply swipe your pass every time you board the bus. Passes cannot be used outside Marin County.

For the Day Pass:
1.	Tell the driver that you'd like to purchase a Day Pass and if you qualify for a discount.
2.	Insert exact fare ($5 for adults, $2.50 for youth/senior/disabled) into the farebox as usual, using the dollar bill and coin slot.
3.	The farebox will eject a magnetic striped card. This is your Day Pass.
4.	Take the Pass and move into the bus. Passes do not need to be swiped on your first bus ride.

For all Passes:
1.	Passes need to be swiped through the farebox each time you board the bus to travel within Marin County.
2.	The first time you use the pass, "dip" your Pass in the farebox so it will start the activation date (except for Day Passes). For all following trips, slide your Pass through the diagonal slot located at the top right of the fareox with the magnetic stripe facing you.
3.	A BEEP will sound alerting you and the driver that the Pass has been accepted.
4.	A WARBLE will sound when a Pass is misread, invalid or expired. If this happens, swipe it again. If a second WARBLE sounds, please pay the standard fare by another means.

Take Care of Your Period Pass: Period Passes should not get wet or be exposed to the sun; should not be wrinkled, torn or folded; and should not be written on.

	Adult 7-Day $20	Youth 7-Day $10	Senior/Disabled 7-Day $10	Adult 31-Day $80	Youth 31-Day $40	Senior/Disabled 31-Day $25

Where to Purchase New Value Cards & Period Passes

Value Cards will be sold at many of the same locations that previously sold discount ticket books. They are also available at Golden Gate's online store or over the phone (American Express, Visa, Mastercard and Discover accepted). To find a retail location near you, please visit our Value Card Vendor page or call 511 (say "Golden Gate Transit," then "Operator")/TDD 711. To purchase Value Cards over phone, call 511.

Value Cards come in five denominations — $18, $25, $36, $50 and $75 ($18 and $36 cards valid for Marin County travel only). Golden Gate Transit bus tickets will not be accepted after June 30, 2009.

Watch a Video of the Farebox/Value Card in Use

Click here to watch a YouTube video of the farebox/Value Card in use!

Questions

For additional information, please call toll-free 511 (say “Golden Gate Transit,” then “Operator”)/TDD 711.


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