"BayPass at Berkeley” campaigns to get UC Berkeley students unlimited Bay Area transit access
Next fall semester, all 45,000+ UC Berkeley students may receive BayPass – the Bay Area's new transit pass that provides unlimited, free-at-the-point-of-use access to all regional rail, bus, and ferry services using Clipper Card – if they pass an upcoming campus referendum this Spring.
Seamless Bay Area has officially endorsed the BayPass at Berkeley campaign. Expanding BayPass to students (a group that historically depends on public transit for their mobility needs) is an excellent way to make taking transit more affordable, accessible, and convenient.
BayPass at Berkeley Campaign
The student-led BayPass at Berkeley campaign is urging a ‘yes’ vote on the upcoming campus-wide referendum, which will be voted on during the regular student elections between April 7th and April 9th.
“BayPass will transform the student experience at UC Berkeley. Students know this, which is why our campaign is supported by a vast coalition of undergraduate and graduate students, local leaders, and activists,” said Ren Fitzgerald, Campaign Manager for BayPass at Berkeley and a UC Berkeley undergraduate student. “We’re excited to put forth changes that will not only positively transform the student experience and lower the cost of living, but improve mobility, economic and social justice, safety, and our climate.”
Graphic from the UC Berkeley Parking and Transportation Department Instagram, @berkeleymoves.
The referendum would expand BayPass to all UC Berkeley students at an additional cost of $124 per semester for full-time students and $62 for summer-only students in the 2025-2026 academic year. This is on top of the existing $105 per semester that students currently pay for the "ClassPass” program which grants them unlimited AC Transit service.
“Part of the reason why I chose to attend UC Berkeley is the fact that you don't need a car to attend here,” said Mia Verdin, a UC Berkeley student. "When I heard there was a way you could possibly ride every transit agency in the Bay Area for free I'm like 'sign me up.'“
According to the BayPass at Berkeley campaign, “the vast majority of UC Berkeley students will save with BayPass, with an average net savings of $58 per month, per user. Approximately 1 in 3 students will pay nothing for the pass under their financial aid agreement.”
Berkeley City Council member Cecilia Lunaparra supports the BayPass referendum.
“The vast majority of my constituents do not own a car and rely on public transit to get around,” stated Lunaparra who represents District 7, an area with majority student residents. “Expanding BayPass to all UC Berkeley students will be a huge step forward for transit justice and equity in our community.”
Other supporters of UC Berkeley BayPass referendum include BayPass at Berkeley Campaign Manager Fitzgerald, who also Chair's the City of Berkeley Transportation & Infrastructure Commission, as well as UC Berkeley's Student Government (known as the ASUC) President, Vice President, Executive Affairs Vice President, Academic Affairs Vice President, and the Graduate Assembly Executive Affairs Vice President (titles for ID purposes only).
History of Transit Passes at UC Berkeley
In 1999, UC Berkeley students first gained access to unlimited Local and Transbay AC Transit services with the adoption of the “ClassPass” program, which is paid for by all students as part of a semesterly student fee. ClassPass also funds the University's Bear Transit shuttles, which provides bus service around campus and to the surrounding student housing. Moved from a sticker program to Clipper Cards in 2016, AC Transit ClassPass remains wildly popular amongst students, but lacks the same transit benefits for BART, Muni, and other transit services that students regularly depend on.
As student commutes grew as a result of cheaper housing beyond Berkeley, there were requests by the students to join BART’s Higher Education Fare Discount Program (HEDP).
San Francisco State University (SFSU) took advantage of BART's HEDP in 2017, for example, when students approved a 25% discount on trips to/from BART's Daly City Station into their existing Gator Pass. The discount was increased to 50% in March 2019. Transportation administrators at Berkeley chose not to pursue this option, citing a high reimbursement cost and low user rate, scored against the University’s revenue, mostly from parking revenue.
Throughout 2020 and 2021, UC Berkeley advocated to the Bay Area's regional transportation governing body, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), to incorporate a ‘go-anywhere’ pass to upgrade the existing ClassPass program. In August 2022, BayPass launched as a two-year pilot program at four Bay Area colleges, including UC Berkeley, providing some 50,000 randomly selected university students with free, unlimited transit access on the 24 agencies that accept Clipper Card payment.
UC Berkeley students with access to BayPass took transit 37% more than their counterparts without the pass, according to data 1-year into the pilot program. Source: March 2023 Policy Advisory Council Transit Transformation Action Plan Subcommittee meeting
When the program launched some 12,000 UC Berkeley students gained access to BayPass (and some students still have the transit pass). This pilot program was highly successful, with the most recent data suggesting BayPass generated a 40% increase in transit trips and 74% increase in transfers between transit agencies amongst users. International case studies in Taiwan and Germany also show how affordable regional transit pass programs increase transit ridership.
BayPass is highly popular across the Bay Area
Beginning last Fall, nearly 24,000 students at SFSU gained access to BayPass after expressing “overwhelming support” during and after the initial pilot program phase.
In addition to the pilot program at Bay Area colleges, BayPass began accepting applications from employers and institutions beginning in January of 2024. Alameda TMA, the City of Menlo Park, and UCSF were some of the first organizations to join. Then some 1,525 SFO employees, 500 Open AI employees, and affordable housing residents at MidPen housing in San Mateo and Oakland gained access to BayPass.
The program is so popular that now there is a queue of employers applying to get BayPass for their employees. As such, MTC voted to expand the program from 20,000 to 80,000 participants.
Next Steps
As of now, the general public cannot get the transit pass – only selected employers and institutions are eligible to participate in this test phase.
If you want to get BayPass via your employer, companies and other institutions are still able to apply on a rolling basis. The interest form can be found here.
Additionally, fare policies and programs like Clipper BayPass, Clipper START, and the much delayed free/reduced cost transfer program reduce barriers for riders and help create a more integrated Bay Area transit network.
Seamless Bay Area continues to advocate for an integrated regional fare system. Paired with daily, weekly, and monthly fare capping, this model has the potential to attract many more riders to transit.