AC Transit & EasyPass FAQs

AC Transit’s EasyPass program provides Mills College undergraduates and graduates with an AC Transit bus pass valid at any time on all AC Transit lines, both local and transbay.

For only $60.38 per semester, the program offers you substantially reduced bus fare because all eligible students share in the program’s cost. Students can save 84 percent from the regular rate for a 31-day pass for local transit ($75) and 95.5 percent from the cost of a 31-day transbay pass ($162.00). The EasyPass is loaded on the Clipper regional fare card and shows your name and photo ID.

Your Mills College EasyPass is a great alternative to driving alone. Using your EasyPass reduces parking demands and alleviates traffic congestion. The EasyPass is also as a great way to reduce your carbon footprint and improve our environment.

The EasyPass is valid for all undergraduate students who pay the ASMC fee and all graduate students. Currently, about 1,500 Mills College students are eligible for the program this fall semester. All students enrolled in the spring semester will have a valid EasyPass throughout the summer.

You must have a photo ID on file at Mills and you must electronically sign off on the EasyPass Pass Acceptance Form (PAF). If you have registered for classes, but have not signed a PAF, then you will be required to sign a PAF when you pick up your EasyPass. If you do not yet have your photo on file at Mills, contact the HMDS office right away.

The PAF is a required form that releases your photo for EasyPass production and ensures that you understand the guidelines for proper use of the EasyPass. The form also subscribes you to AC Transit e-News—an email-based notification service that lets you know when important changes occur on the bus lines you ride. Occasionally, Mills College may send out an email survey via AC Transit eNews to assess the EasyPass program. 

You will not have an EasyPass ready for pick up at the start of the semester. There will be a two to three-week delay in getting your EasyPass if Mills receives your photo after the initial due date. Once Mills receives your photo, orders your EasyPass, and receives it from AC Transit, Mills will notify you by email when to pick up your EasyPass.

You will pick up your EasyPass at the Oval during Orientation and Check-in. Look for the EasyPass distribution table where staff will check to see if you have signed your Pass Acceptance Form (PAF) and if so, provide you with your new EasyPass. The pass will be ready to use right away.

Undergraduate students voted in spring 2009 to institute an AC Transit EasyPass program benefiting all Mills undergraduate students. With an 84 percent approval, the referendum authorized a small student fee enabling Mills undergraduates to ride any AC Transit bus at anytime. Graduate students voted in spring 2010 to authorize the student fee so that all graduate students could participate in the EasyPass program. Because all students share in the cost to provide this benefit, the EasyPass is provided at only 6 percent of the regular local fare. The pricing on this discounted EasyPass relies on all eligible Mills students paying the fee. Mills students have shown that they are committed to supporting a more sustainable Mills.

Changes to EasyPass comprehensive fees are scheduled through Spring 2019 in conjunction with AC Transit transbay fare increases (PDF). While student comprehensive fees will reflect said changes, EasyPass holders will continue to receive deeply discounted rates of 90-95% for local and transbay access through their respective service periods.

Begining Summer 2016, revised transbay fare rates will effect the following fee changes:

*Savings based on projected July 1, 2016 rate changes. Rates compared to individual and non-participating agency 31-Day Transbay purchases through semester service period.

The EasyPass is valid only for the student to whom it is assigned. Your EasyPass is not transferable or refundable and will be revoked (deactivated) if used by anyone else. There are no refunds for your EasyPass fees. Fraudulent use of your EasyPass undermines AC Transit’s financial ability to offer the pass to Mills College students and others who qualify for the discounted program. A fine of up to $228 and/or community service is the penalty for misuse of your pass with the intent to evade the payment of fares according to California state law (CPC 640). Mills College may impose additional penalties as explained in the Academic Integrity and Student Behavior Policy.

Yes, the card is yours to keep but your EasyPass will be deactivated at the end of the current semester. You can keep the card as long as you wish for a convenient way to pay for all transit services that use TransLink. You will have to add e-cash to the card for it to be active.

Write down your TransLink card number on the Mills College EasyPass User Guide that comes with your card. You will need to refer to this number if your card becomes defective, damaged, lost, or stolen. You may also want to write down your name in the exact way it is printed on the card so that if you need to make a call to the TransLink Customer Service Center, your card information can be easily verified. Read and keep the User Guide that comes with your pass.

Your EasyPass comes on a TransLink card personalized with your name and photo. You will "tag" the TransLink card on the card reader at the front of the bus each time you board. When you hear a single beep, your fare has been accepted. If you hear three beeps, you may have tagged your card incorrectly. Try again and be careful not to swipe your card. If you still hear three beeps, confirm with the driver that the reader is in good working order. If so, your card may be defective or deactivated. Please call TransLink customer service to address your card issue. Always have back up fare in case your card does not work. And remember, the EasyPass is not transferable to anyone else.

No. The EasyPass is valid only on AC Transit local and transbay bus lines. The Dumbarton Express is actually operated by a consortium of transit agencies that contracts with AC Transit. Mills students can use their EasyPass to take AC Transit Line U to get to Stanford University without paying extra fare. 

Yes. TransLink is now accepted on BART, Golden Gate Transit, San Francisco Muni, and the Dumbarton Express. To ride these other systems you will need to add cash (called "e-cash") to your card. You can add e-cash by phone, at a self-serve Add Value Machine, a transit agency ticket office, online at www.translink.org, or at any TransLink retail vendor, such as Walgreens. Visit ww.translink.org for more information on TransLink.

No. The antenna that activates the TransLink reader runs throughout the card. Please protect your card from damage.

• Call the TransLink Customer Service Center toll-free at (877) 878-8883, and have your card number in hand. This is the first step you should always take. TransLink will give you instructions for what to do next.
• If your card has been lost or stolen, TransLink will deactivate your card to prevent misuse and protect any e-cash value on the card. You can ask for a replacement card and restore your EasyPass and e-cash for a balance restoration fee of $5, payable by credit card or money order directly to TransLink.
• If your card just doesn’t work, TransLink will check your card remotely and fix it if possible. If this can’t be done, you will be asked to mail your card to TransLink. If it’s determined that the card has been damaged, you can ask for a replacement and restore your EasyPass and any e-cash for a balance restoration fee of $5, payable by credit card or money order directly to TransLink. If the card is defective, you’ll get a new card with your EasyPass and any e-cash balance restored without charge.
• TransLink will notify AC Transit to create your replacement card, which will be mailed to Mills in three to five business days. To speed delivery, you can request to have the card mailed directly to you. Simply give TransLink your mailing address. Until you have your new card, you will need to pay the regular cash fare on the bus.

• Call TransLink at (877) 878-8883 for problems with your EasyPass. Always call TransLink first to report a lost, stolen, damaged, or defective EasyPass.
• Please refer to your Mills College EasyPass User Guide that came with your card. Remember to write down your EasyPass number on your User Guide so you can reference it easily if you need to call TransLink Customer Service.
• For all other questions about your EasyPasscontact Mills College:
  • Contact Mills Housing Management and Dining Services (HMDS), Sage Hall, Room 138, at 510-430-2127.
  • Check out the Mills EasyPass web page for additional details.

If you did not receive your EasyPass, contact Mills College.

• Be on the lookout for the AC Transit table on campus during Fall Orientation and at other times during the fall semester.
• Go online to www.actransit.org.
• Find AC Transit maps and schedules at:
  • The Division of Student Life, Cowell Building
  • The M Center, Carnegie Building
  • Housing/HMDS Office, Sage Hall
  • F. W. Olin Library
  • Admissions Office, Mills Hall
  • Department of Public Safety
• Talk to residence hall RAs, members of the Associated Students Board, or the Earth Corps at Mills.
• Find the NextBus™ real-time bus arrival information for a line you ride by visiting www.nextbus.com.
• Use your Mills EasyPass "How to Ride Guide" and explore the Bay Area.
• Get personalized help with trip planning or order maps and schedules by calling 511 (and saying, "AC Transit") to reach the AC Transit Telephone Information Center. You can also go to AC Transit’s home page and click on "Trip Planner."

If you are inside the bus, look above the front windshield for the bus number and write it down along with the date. If you are already outside the bus, find the bus number above the windshield or the front door. Call 511 (and say, "AC Transit") to reach the AC Transit Telephone Information Center or go online to the AC Transit website to make a report.

Call 511 (and say, "AC Transit") to reach the AC Transit Telephone Information Center and let them know which monitor is not functioning properly.

Send an email to signs@actransit.org to report missing schedules or damaged bus stop/pole signage.

Call 511 (and say, "AC Transit") to reach AC Transit’s Telephone Information Center or go online to the AC Transite website to make a report.

To learn more about AC Transit and your EasyPass:

AC Transit Home Page

AC Transit EasyPass Page

Maps and Schedules

AC Transit Customer Services

AC Transit for the Environment