AAA 10+10 discount

[BCL]

I can agree with that. When I have asked just to see each year's design I have received them pre-punched out of the Conductors pocket, dated sometimes up to a week in the future. I don't think the agency I'm at mentions it either. But I know you stick it into the fare box and it is valid for a local fare credit. You are able to add funds to receive a transfer as well. It is not valid on Transbay routes. WIth lightrail that seems a bit more difficult as they don't have a farebox. And who is to say if the transfer is dated in the future that you don't use the same one for days on end?
I think a lot of policies involving the Transit Transfer are not consistant as so many agencies are involved. But Capitol Corridor manages their program and the agreements with the agencies and sends their directives onto Amtrak.

At the agency level, the transfers are so rare compared to other fare media that they are often overlooked when listing fare information. I know where I work some operators know what to do with them and some are unsure what they even are of if we accept them. It is in their training book with a picture and description but those often aren't carried around on a daily basis by the average employee. I'd be curious to call VTA Customer Service and see what they say.

Transfers are a PITA these days.

I remember my years of getting around by public transportation before I had a car. As a kid my local bus line's transfers used to be individually printed for the bus route and even direction. It was valid until the time on a tear sheet, but another bus driver would look at it and determine if the boarding point was adequate to use that particular transfer. If the lines weren't "close enough" they could deny transfers. I also remember there used to be issues with special school routes where they didn't accept transfers because some kids were getting transfers and dropping them out the window to their friends waiting to get on. Then they went to a single transfer valid up to a certain time and good in any local route in any direction. But it used to be free. Now they charge for it. I also remember when BART would issue a two part transfer good for a ride in any direction, and they would issue a regular transfer on the bus if requested. These days it gets a discount and a regular transfer costs extra.

I also remember when MUNI child fare was 5 cents.

Clipper at least gets me some discounts, even if it's just a quarter. If I go from BART to MUNI I debate whether or not to use Clipper. I can get the two 25 cent discounts, but I also have a stack of the discount $10 BART tickets I buy on CC as well as the MUNI transfer/fare receipt often being considerably longer than 90 minutes if I get it from an operator's tear sheet. They'll often set it up for 3-4 hours because they don't feel like readjusting it.

Well - gone off topic way too long. Maybe I'll continue this rant on the commuter rail board.

 

[BCL]

I can agree with that. When I have asked just to see each year's design I have received them pre-punched out of the Conductors pocket, dated sometimes up to a week in the future. I don't think the agency I'm at mentions it either. But I know you stick it into the fare box and it is valid for a local fare credit. You are able to add funds to receive a transfer as well. It is not valid on Transbay routes. WIth lightrail that seems a bit more difficult as they don't have a farebox. And who is to say if the transfer is dated in the future that you don't use the same one for days on end?
I think a lot of policies involving the Transit Transfer are not consistant as so many agencies are involved. But Capitol Corridor manages their program and the agreements with the agencies and sends their directives onto Amtrak.

At the agency level, the transfers are so rare compared to other fare media that they are often overlooked when listing fare information. I know where I work some operators know what to do with them and some are unsure what they even are of if we accept them. It is in their training book with a picture and description but those often aren't carried around on a daily basis by the average employee. I'd be curious to call VTA Customer Service and see what they say.

I think some of the conductors are giving them with plenty of days intentionally for the benefit of their riders.

As I noted, I've never had a VTA bus driver ask me to surrender a CC transfer. However, in the past week I have produced a transfer twice for VTA light rail fare inspectors. The first time I showed it the inspector asked a more senior inspector what to do with it. He was told to mark the use of a transfer in his book and to give it back to me as is. The second time a different inspector took the transfer and wrote the date (no time) and badge number on the face of the transfer and handed it back to me.

So yeah - consistency does seem to be an issue.