Clipper Card Transit Benefits

Students, Your OneCard Is a Clipper Card

Your Student OneCard acts as a Clipper card, the all-in-one transit card for the Bay Area. You can use it to pay for rides on trains, buses and ferries.

There are discounts and special deals, too! As part of tuition and fees, all students pay a fee each semester for a “Gator Pass.” This set of transit passes — accessed via your OneCard — afford students free unlimited rides for all transit operators that accept Clipper Cards (with the exception of cable cars and Paratransit services) during the Fall and Spring semesters. You can view all services that accept Gator Pass by clicking on this link: Where to Use

Things to Keep in Mind

Tuition and campus fees must be paid or covered by financial aid before the transit benefits become active. The transit benefit and OneCard functions will become active on the first day of the fall and spring semester for all enrolled students who have paid tuition and campus fees. The transit benefit will be active on all days (weekdays, weekends and holidays) throughout fall or spring semester, but will not be active over the summer term or during the January intercession term. Your transit discount will be valid until the last day of the final exams. 

Student with headphones looking at phone
  • Your Gator Pass transit benefits will not be active immediately after your card is printed or after you cleared your tuition balance. It takes the Clipper System up to one week to process the clipper information into their system. So we recommend that students wait at least one week before attempting to board transportation using the OneCard.
  • Don’t board the transportation if your Gator Pass is not active or if you did not pay the fare! SF State will not be held responsible for any citation you may receive if you board with a Gator Pass that isn’t working.
  • In order for your transit benefits to function correctly, please do not add external Muni, BART or SamTrans products onto your OneCard, as this will replace your higher education discount. This includes depositing more than $40 onto your Clipper account per transaction.
  • Your OneCard Gator Pass will not work on the Clipper App. Registering your OneCard onto the Clipper App may invalidate your Gator Pass.
  • It is not possible to add money to Clipper account through San Francisco State's Gator Dollars AVS stations. Please visit a nearby BART Station/Muni underground or login to your Clipper account at www.clippercard.com to add value.
  • And don’t forget: Gator Dollars and Clipper Funds are separate accounts. Gator Dollar deposits will not work for Clipper transits, and Clipper funds will not work for campus purchases. 

For Regional Transit Connection (RTC) Card Holders

If you have an RTC (Regional Transit Connection) Clipper Card, you may be eligible for a Gator Pass fee waiver. This waiver will exempt you from paying the fee for the new Gator Pass discounts. However, in this case you will also be excluded from the Gator Pass discount program, and your OneCard will not provide you with free rides on all transits that accept Clipper card. If you have already paid the Gator Pass fee and your waiver is approved, a credit will be applied to your account and you may receive a refund for any credit balance. RTC card holder waivers are valid for one semester only. Card holders must re-apply every semester for a Gator Pass fee waiver. There will be no retroactive refunds for past semesters.

The RTC Clipper Card is a version of Clipper created for passengers under 65 years of age with qualifying disabilities. This waiver is meant to accommodate all students who are valid RTC holders. 

To apply for the waiver, download the Application Waiver Form for RTC card holders. Then:

  1. Submit your RTC application by email to onecardpetitions@sfsu.edu.
  2. Your RTC waiver will be reviewed for completeness and validity.
  3. An email will be sent to you with a decision.
    • If approved, you will receive a waiver or reimbursement. If you have not paid, the Gator Pass fee will be waived. If you have already paid, your fee payment will be reimbursed and will go towards any outstanding fees in your account.
    • If rejected, the response email will include an explanation of why your request was denied.