I have been using the new transit smart card "Clipper" for about half-a-month, and since I loaded my electronic Muni Fast Pass into my "Clipper" card, I can ride every single line on the Muni system, including cable cars. (Note: You must have a monthly pass loaded into the card in order to ride cable cars) This afternoon, I tried to use my "Clipper" card for the first time to ride the Powell-Mason cable car line, honestly, as a local, I don't ride cable cars for more than 5 times a year, and I usually ride cable cars during the holiday season. Anyway, it's my second time (or third time, I don't know...) to ride cable car this year. There're so many people (I believe most of them are tourists) were waiting for the cable car, and we could finally get on board 30 minutes later, no need to say, the cable car had been full of people already. Good, I could still find a seat.
Everyone was on board, so conductor started to collect money from passengers or check their passes. Maybe I was the only person on that cable car who used "Clipper" card, the conductor didn't even carry the "Clipper" card reader with him at that time, therefore he told me to wait for him a second and to let him finished collecting all the cash payments. After he finished collecting all the cash payments, he took out the handheld "Clipper" card reader from the cable car, then I handed my card to him for scan. "Beep", "Good, thank you!" the conductor handed the card back to me. It's that easy.
The cable arrived at the Powell Street station around 3:30 pm, and my cable car journey for today has come to an end.
It's pretty cool experience to use a new technology on a cable car, and it just like something combined with the new and the old, but my only question is: when will the "Clipper" cards become part of our lives, just like the "Octopus" cards in Hong Kong?
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