Back-to-school time serves to remind us that MDX’s Frequent Driver Rewards Program is as easy as “reading, riding, and rithmatic.” Because all you have to do to participate is read the enrollment guidelines, ride on MDX expressways – and as quick as 1-2-3, get ready to put reward cash in your pocket.
And although open enrollment for the 2018 program doesn’t start until this December, MDX customers are already talking about it. Similarly, anticipation is building for the estimated 73,000 rebate checks that will be distributed in December to existing 2017 participants.
The Frequent Driver Rewards Program was created in 2015 to recognize and reward MDX’s most frequent customers.
In planning the launch open enrollment for 2018, the MDX Board of Directors and the newly elected MDX Chairperson Shelly Smith Fano were pleased to note that the release of the 2017 rebates was timed to happen simultaneous with announcement of the new enrollment period.
According to MDX Executive Director Javier Rodriguez, the overlap actually serves to encourage new members to enroll in the program while reminding current members to re-enroll and update their information.
“It’s a win-win because it allows for MDX to amplify promotion of this popular program by capitalizing on our best marketing tool – word of mouth from our customers – as they receive their checks,” he added.
In 2016, MDX disbursed $5.5 million to 48,000 commuters and to 4,000 small local businesses, including 973 Uber, Lyft, and taxi drivers. Customers were reimbursed almost one-third of the MDX tolls they consumed in the year, which equates to end-of-year refunds ranging from a minimum of $30 to almost $27,000 for a business businesses operating commercial fleets on MDX expressways.
All combined, the top 100 business customers spent $196,469 in tolls and received checks totaling $58,941 at year end averaging about $1,000 each.
Granted, the average check amount in 2016 was $105 per commuter and $1,000 per business, but that’s a nice perk to get in the mail – especially around the holidays. All told, this equates to injecting more than $5.5 million of disposable income into the local economy at the end of the year.
Smith Fano noted that the MDX rewards program essentially lowers the toll rates paid by the commuters and small businesses that utilize MDX’s expressways daily, “with our frequent customers receiving a check in December of 2016 and 2015 reimbursing them almost one-third of the tolls they paid MDX over the entire year.”
In the past two years, the rebate program effectively reduced the highest toll paid on any of MDX’s expressways from 70 cents to 49 cents with the 30 percent discount, lower than toll rates on some of the state highways or county causeways.
“So if you spend $100 annually or an average of $2 weekly on tolls MDX expressways, I urge you to enroll or re-enroll for your end of the year check,” she concluded.
The minimum criteria for participation in MDX’s Frequent Driver Rewards Program:
- Be a SunPass account holder in good standing;
- Spending a minimum of $100 annually on any of MDX’s five expressways; and
- Registering annually during the open-enrollment period.
If you have questions about the MDX Frequent Driver Rewards Program or need assistance, send an e-mail to frequentdriver@mdxway.com or visit www.mdxway.com/.
