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Step 3Pay
MUNI
MUNI has an antiquated payment system. If you're getting on at street level stops, you can either pay the driver at the very front of the train $1.50 (no change available) or get on anywhere on the train with a transfer or your prepaid pass. If you're getting on at one of the underground stations downtown, you can either flash your pass or transfer to the agent in the booth or pay $1.50 in change (no dollar bills) in the turnstile machine. There's a machine that will change your bills into dollar coins in some stations, but then you're destined to pay extra if you can't break that dollar coin into $.50. You can also use the BART fare machines to get quarters. If you want to get a pass, your options are limited. You/'re confined to monthly, weekly and other time limited cards. You can't just buy a pass that you can keep refilling as you need it. It's a last century, ridonculous system overall. By the way, the free MUNI transfer is good for 90 minutes. Ask your employer about signing up for the Commuter Check program. It's cheaper for you and also easier because someone else worries about it for you.
BART
The BART system is more straightforward and easy to use. You can buy cards using cash or credit card at machines at the stations. You put your card into the machine as you go in the station. Keep it handy because you'll have to put it back in a machine on your way out. The card will tell you how much money you have left on it. The machine on the exit side will tell you if you don't have enough money on your card; use the machines in the station to replenish your card and try again.
Hybrid
Check the MUNI site for information about getting passes that work on both MUNI and BART, or MUNI and CalTrain, etc. There are options, but clearly the transit agencies don't play well together. MUNI and BART are supposed to start accepting the TransLink card, which works on some other regional transit systems, in Spring 2008. But don't hold your breath.
MUNI has an antiquated payment system. If you're getting on at street level stops, you can either pay the driver at the very front of the train $1.50 (no change available) or get on anywhere on the train with a transfer or your prepaid pass. If you're getting on at one of the underground stations downtown, you can either flash your pass or transfer to the agent in the booth or pay $1.50 in change (no dollar bills) in the turnstile machine. There's a machine that will change your bills into dollar coins in some stations, but then you're destined to pay extra if you can't break that dollar coin into $.50. You can also use the BART fare machines to get quarters. If you want to get a pass, your options are limited. You/'re confined to monthly, weekly and other time limited cards. You can't just buy a pass that you can keep refilling as you need it. It's a last century, ridonculous system overall. By the way, the free MUNI transfer is good for 90 minutes. Ask your employer about signing up for the Commuter Check program. It's cheaper for you and also easier because someone else worries about it for you.
BART
The BART system is more straightforward and easy to use. You can buy cards using cash or credit card at machines at the stations. You put your card into the machine as you go in the station. Keep it handy because you'll have to put it back in a machine on your way out. The card will tell you how much money you have left on it. The machine on the exit side will tell you if you don't have enough money on your card; use the machines in the station to replenish your card and try again.
Hybrid
Check the MUNI site for information about getting passes that work on both MUNI and BART, or MUNI and CalTrain, etc. There are options, but clearly the transit agencies don't play well together. MUNI and BART are supposed to start accepting the TransLink card, which works on some other regional transit systems, in Spring 2008. But don't hold your breath.
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Sep 27, 2009. 12:15 AMjm3
says:
Some updates: MUNI now costs $2, FastPass monthly cards are available at http://j.mp/buyfastpass from the 10th - 22nd of every month, and the TransLink smartcard (which is what you want) works on MUNI, BART, and CalTrain, and is available online here: http://www.translink.org.
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Apr 16, 2009. 8:59 PMMcGreenish
says:
I'm not sure if you mentioned this anywhere in here, but I think it's important to know that you should not to put your BART card anywhere near your cell phone. DEMAGNETIZATION! It's happened to me more than once, and it can cause a huge hassle.
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Nov 13, 2007. 6:21 AMhalli
says:
Great set of instructions, but you should probably explain the whole "hit H to tell the BART ticket machine to give you quarters" thing.
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