Ticket To Ride? Livermore Amador Valley Buses Paperless In 2020

LIVERMORE, CA — Bus tickets — the old-fashioned paper kind — are a thing of the past. The Livermore Amador Valley Transit Authority board voted to end the sale of paper tickets effective January 1,2019.

But in order to give passengers time to use up any pre-purchased paper tickets, the board included a provision that paper Fare Buster and Senior/Disabled 10-Ride Tickets would continue to be accepted through December 31, 2019.

Notices advising passengers of the looming deadline have been posted on all Wheels and Rapid buses since November, according to Tony McCaulay, director of planning and marketing for the Livermore Amador Valley Transit Authority.

Day Passes are now available for purchase directly on a bus. When a passenger boards and inserts cash into the fare box, the driver issues a magnetic stripe Day Pass card that is valid for unlimited rides through 2 a.m. the following day, McCaulay said.

The other option is to obtain a Clipper Card, either online or at Clipper Card outlets, including Walgreens and Whole Foods. Value is loaded online or at the Clipper outlets. The Clipper Card automatically deducts the cost of the ride, but will never charge more than the cost of a Day Pass during a single day, McCaulay said.

Passengers who still have Wheels paper tickets stashed away are encouraged to use them up before the looming deadline. Riders can also donate them to the annual bus ticket drive coordinated by Livermore resident Jacky Paulson, McCaulay said. Tickets should be mailed to: Asbury United Methodist Church, 4743 East Avenue, Livermore, CA 94550. To receive a receipt for the donation, write “Bus Tickets” on the envelope and include your name and email address in the envelope.

All donated tickets will be distributed to area agencies that serve low-income residents, according to McCaulay.