Nothing! The Student Transit Pass is totally free. If you lose the card with the pass on it, then you’ll be charged a $3 replacement fee from Clipper.

Students in grades 6-12 at over 160 participating Alameda County schools can apply for a free Student Transit Pass, depending on which type of school district you’re in. Check your school’s status on our Apply for a Pass page.

Just visit our Apply for a Pass page and click on the application for your school. Be sure to have a parent or guardian nearby to sign at the end.

Once you apply, it can take 4-6 weeks for a Youth Clipper card with the Student Transit Pass loaded on it to be delivered to your school’s site administrator (longer at the beginning of the school year and during holidays). If you already have a Youth Clipper card, add the serial number to your application and the pass will be loaded remotely to it within 2-4 weeks after you apply.

Reach out to the site admin at your school for updates. If it’s been more than 6 weeks since you applied, feel free to contact us or check in via our help request form.

Applications may be denied for the following reasons:

• You already applied for and received a Student Transit Pass. You should only apply for the pass once—if you received one at another school, it will continue to work. If you need a replacement, follow the steps on our Replace Your Pass page.
• You entered some information incorrectly on the application, like your birth date or student ID. Talk to your site administrator if you believe your application may have incorrect information.

The pass remains valid as long as you’re enrolled in a participating Alameda County middle or high school. Eligibility is not based on age, so as long as you’re still in high school, you can continue using your pass—however, you may have to take special steps to reactivate it once you turn 19. See the “Why did my pass stop working, and what should I do?” question below for more information.

Nope! Once you get your pass, you don’t need to apply again—it lasts until you leave high school. If you lose your card, please follow the steps on our Replace Your Pass page to get a new one. If your pass stops working for some reason, check the “Why did my pass stop working, and what should I do?” question below, speak with your site administrator, or contact us.

The program is designed for non-private Alameda County schools serving 6th-12th graders, with school sites ideally located within a quarter mile of a bus stop. If you feel like your school should be included, please reach out using our contact form. If you or your school doesn't qualify, we encourage you to explore other discount Clipper programs you may be eligible for.

• If using a plastic card: Tap the card on the reader when boarding a bus or entering/exiting a BART station. If it’s your first time using the card, it may require a few taps.
• If the pass is on your phone: Open your phone’s wallet app and tap your phone to the card reader.

Add cash value to ride BART and other transit services throughout the Bay Area. Cash value can be added to your Youth Clipper card online, on your phone, or in person at participating retailers, self-service machine, or staffed service location — just follow Clipper’s instructions to reload your card. Bus rides with your local agency are free and do not require any cash value!

Yes, you can transfer the pass from a plastic card to a phone using Apple Wallet or Google Pay. After the transfer takes place, the plastic card will be deactivated and no longer work. Learn how to transfer the pass to your phone on the Clipper website: Choose “Get Started” for Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, then find detailed instructions in the section titled “How to Transfer a Plastic Clipper Card to Apple Wallet/Google Pay."

You must call Clipper Customer Service to set up an online account for a card received through the Student Transit Pass program—you can’t do it from the Clipper website.

• Call Clipper at (877) 878-8883 (TDD/TTY: 711 or (800) 735-2929).
• Dial “2” (even if you know your card number) and then “0” to speak with an operator.
• Say “I need to set up an online account for my Youth Clipper card,” and give the same name, email, phone number, and address you used on your STP application.
• Now you can sign into your account using the Clipper app or the Clipper website!

If you received a new Clipper card through the Student Transit Pass program, then the pass is active and ready to be used. If you asked for a pass to be remotely added to your existing Youth Clipper card, it should be ready within a month after filling out your application. If you’d like to check, you can do one of the following:

• Tap your card on a bus card reader—just be prepared with an alternate payment method if your pass isn’t active yet.
• Follow the instructions in the “How can I make an online Clipper account?” question, then download the Clipper app, log into your account, and find the card associated with your Student Transit Pass. You’ll see a notification that the pass is “Pending Tag” when it’s ready to be used on a bus. (Note: you won’t see this if you log into your online Clipper account, only if you use the Clipper app.)

There are several options available for replacing lost or stolen passes. For detailed instructions, visit our Replace Your Pass page.

• Touch Card Below: Tap the card on the reader again. It might take a few tries, especially the first time.
• Invalid: The card might be defective. Check for physical damage and request a replacement if necessary. Did you transfer the card to your phone? If so, the plastic one won't work anymore.
• Low Funds: First, make sure you're riding a local bus like AC Transit, Wheels, or Union City Transit—ask the driver to be sure the fare payment system is set to local routes. If so, then the pass might not be working anymore. If you ride AC Transit or Union City Transit, you can use our help request form to reactivate it; if you ride Wheels, fill out a new application for your school and follow the instructions there.

If the issues persist, speak with your site administrator or contact us.

There are several different reasons why a pass may stop working. If you need your pass to be reactivated, please use our help request form (AC Transit- and Union City Transit-riders) or fill out a new application for your school and follow the instructions there (Wheels-riders)—or let your site admin know.

• If you haven’t used the pass in more than 6 months, it may need to be reactivated.
• (AC Transit-riders) Your pass will stop working when you turn 19. If you’re still enrolled at a participating school, you can ask for it to be reactivated. These “adult” Student Transit Passes have an annual expiration date of June 30. We’ll reach out to your site admin ahead of this date to confirm whether you’re still enrolled, and if so, we’ll reactivate your pass so it’s valid for another year.
• (Union City Transit- and Wheels-riders) Passes for graduating students age 18 and older are deactivated at the end of June. This data is based on the grade and/or graduation date you gave on your original application. If that date has changed and you’re still enrolled at a participating school, please ask your site admin to tell us in advance, or request for your pass to be reactivated.

Note: You’ll get an error message if you try to use the pass on BART or a Transbay route—that’s because the Student Transit Pass only provides free rides on local bus routes.