MARTA to reward regular riders with free Breeze cards (Clayton: bus, money)

[ATL Golfer]

Originally Posted by Tryska

It amazes me how many people think a breeze card is a method of payment.

It's not. It's a receipt that acknowledges you have paid, and allows you access to the closed circuit of paying riders eligible to board.

Wait until you find out how many different ways people pronounce tomato. Prepare for your mind to be blown.

Yea, that is great for the regular riders to back-up, transfer balances. For casual riders who leave a dollar here, three dollars there.

Would be great to do an open records request to see how many $ go unused over a 5 yr period.

[onemanarmy]

Originally Posted by ATL Golfer

Wait until you find out how many different ways people pronounce tomato. Prepare for your mind to be blown.

Yea, that is great for the regular riders to back-up, transfer balances. For casual riders who leave a dollar here, three dollars there.

Would be great to do an open records request to see how many $ go unused over a 5 yr period.

Wait until you find out how many retail gift cards go unused, prepare for your mind to be blown.

[Tryska]

Originally Posted by ATL Golfer

Wait until you find out how many different ways people pronounce tomato. Prepare for your mind to be blown.

My statement wasn't a "matter of opinion" or a "preference".

Literally - a breeze card, or any other fare card, is your receipt that you have paid your fare and are eligible to ride.

How you pay whatever you load onto your breezecard, is really your business and your business alone, but it is still only an access card. Not a form of payment.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by ATL Golfer

Wait until you find out how many different ways people pronounce tomato. Prepare for your mind to be blown.

Yea, that is great for the regular riders to back-up, transfer balances. For casual riders who leave a dollar here, three dollars there.

Would be great to do an open records request to see how many $ go unused over a 5 yr period.

People shouldn't be so forgetful about important things.

[ATL Golfer]

Originally Posted by onemanarmy

Wait until you find out how many retail gift cards go unused, prepare for your mind to be blown.

I get the concept, thus my post. Mind not blown.

People shouldn't be so forgetful about important things.

$1-5 isn't that important to an individual. Multiply it millions of times. Becomes very important to a business.

My statement wasn't a "matter of opinion" or a "preference".

You're hung up on the literal. I think everyone here (maybe conceding too much) knows what the piece of plastic represents. Its part of the payment process. It holds value on the card.

[Tryska]

Originally Posted by ATL Golfer

You're hung up on the literal. I think everyone here (maybe conceding too much) knows what the piece of plastic represents. Its part of the payment process. It holds value on the card.

Where this becomes important is when people say things like "I should just be able to use my phone to pay, or my credit card".

Sure you can do that - at the breezecard machine. But not at the gate.

And the reason for that is super simple - headways.

The gate is there to control access and also load passengers quickly. Can't have a line of people waiting because one guy's card/phone/wrinkly dollar bill isn't working.

So handle all of that before you get to the gate - load your funds on your access card - tap - enter. Less than 5 seconds.


Really I think an access card of some sort will always be there until such time as we all have microchips implanted in our arms, and can just reload our fares onto that.

[onemanarmy]

Back to the OP. I think this is a great idea, I typically use MARTA about 60-80 times a year, I will try my best to get 100 plus trips in during the time frame. I could use these when I have friends in town.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by demonta4

60-80 trips in the promotion period will earn two round-trip Breeze tickets

I would be a lot more liberal with the rewards program. 60-80 trips just to earn two free rides?

Many of the buses and trains are far from full to begin with.

[0nyxStation]

Originally Posted by demonta4

MARTA to reward regular riders with free Breeze cards You can now be rewarded for regularly riding MARTA.

MARTA customers can earn free, round-trip Breeze tickets based on the number of trips they take during the 30-day promotion period ending Sept. 14. The transportation authority is launching the program to reward loyal customers who regularly ride the system.

“Ideally, reward customers would give their free Breeze tickets to a friend, family member or colleague who does not ride MARTA as a way to introduce them to riding MARTA,” said Assistant General Manager of External Affairs Ryland McClendon in a press release.

Customers who take 60 to 100 or more trips will earn two to four Breeze tickets valued at $5.50 to be used at their discretion.


Reward trip qualifications:

• 60-80 trips in the promotion period will earn two round-trip Breeze tickets;

• 81-100 trips in the promotion period will earn three round-trip Breeze tickets;

• 101-plus trips in the promotion period will earn four round-trip Breeze tickets

Promotion Participation Criteria:

• Breeze Card must be registered

• “Pass backs” between customers to increase trip numbers are not permitted

• MARTA employees, vendors or contractors are not eligible

• Any fraud or abuse of the Breeze Card will result in disqualification

• All riders (bus, rail and mobility) are eligible

Customers who earn Breeze tickets during the promotion period may retrieve them from the MARTA Five Points Ridestore from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 only.

To determine if rewards trips have been earned, customers can log onto MARTA - Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority and enter the serial number from their Breeze card for results

This idea is corny But I dont have time right now to list the reason...Not hating on the OP though...ill be back

[rselah25]

If [Marta] had a reward system like the Starbucks rewards (free rides every X amount, free ride on your birthday, etc) then we'd be talking...