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Caltrans analysis says Clipper system errors drove most November fare shortfalls; SolTrans to press MTC for reimbursement
Summary
Caltrans investigators told the SolTrans board that a November 2024 analysis found missing route IDs on Clipper transactions caused most express-route e‑cash underpayments; the board directed staff to compile losses and seek reimbursement from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.
Caltrans analysts told the SolTrans board on June 2025 that most of the agency’s recent Clipper fare‑revenue shortfalls were caused by failures in the Clipper back end that left route information blank, producing lower (local) fares instead of higher express fares.
At a public meeting presentation, Evan Siroki, transit data quality branch manager in the Division of Data and Digital Services at Caltrans, summarized the investigation and the data sources used. “We looked at data from the Clipper fare transactions. We also looked at some raw data of the connections system, which is the computer aided dispatch automated vehicle location system,” Siroki said. He and Caltrans colleague Farhad Salemi said the team combined those feeds to identify where the mismatch occurred.
The analysis found that in November 2024 about 17% of e‑cash transactions on express routes lacked correct route information. Of that 17 percentage point shortfall, Caltrans attributed roughly 14…
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