Caltrain upgrades ticket vending machines to include purchase of Clipper Cards

Caltrain has upgraded its ticket vending machines (TVMs), giving riders more touchless payment options and the ability to purchase an adult Clipper Card or add cash value option to their card at the San Jose, Sunnyvale, Palo Alto, Redwood City, Millbrae and San Francisco stations. 

As part of the rail agency’s TVM Rehabilitation Project, 12 TVMs, one on each platform, have been upgraded to dispense Clipper products. More ticket machines will be upgraded over time. The ticket machines accept Apple and Google Pay, and can be operated with an easy-to-use touchscreen. When an adult card is purchased with value, a cost of $3 for the card will be added to the total. The TVMs also sell Caltrain monthly passes and products from neighboring agencies, such as Bay Area Rapid Transit, SamTrans and Valley Transportation Authority.

According to results from Caltrain’s 2019 Customer Satisfaction Survey, customers have been wanting the option to add value to their Clipper Cards from the TVMs for a number of years. This is the first time Caltrain has upgraded its TVMs since 2009. Clipper customers still need to tag on and off at the card reader at Caltrain stations before boarding.

Caltrain and other Bay Area transit agencies are making a coordinated effort to keep essential transportation services available to the communities they serve through the Bay Area Healthy Transit Plan. The regional Healthy Transit Plan outlines action items for frequent cleaning, personal protective equipment, face coverings, social distancing, ventilation and touchless fares in order to keep transit safe for all Bay Area residents and transit employees.