The Miami-Dade Expressway Authority (MDX) took a novel approach to deliver some holiday cheer to members of the Authority’s Cash
Back Toll Dividend Program (CBTD) when MDX chair Louis Martinez visited small businesses owned by CBTD members to personally deliver their rebate checks and thank them for being part of the program.
“Our cash back program is the first of its kind in the nation and our way of giving something back to the people who invest with us and use our five expressways,” Martinez said. “And we are happy to be able to do it before the holidays.”
Martinez made visits at two Miami- Dade County small businesses — Air Tech Air Conditioning and All Dade Fences.
“We are thrilled to receive money back from MDX,” said Juan Diaz, owner of All Dade Fences. “Because we are in the program, we’ve seen how much we can save on tolls and it is really helping our bottom line as a business.”
“This is amazing,” said David Goldman, an owner of Air Tech Air Conditioning. “When do you ever see a toll agency give money back to the drivers that use their expressways?”
Mario Diaz of the MDX explained about the program and the rebates.
“Of about 83,000 registered transponders in the system, 46 percent or 38,000 qualified for a 30 percent dividends check, and 54 percent or 45,000 did not qualify,” Diaz said. “The average check is around $75 and the total amount for FY 2015 was about $2.2 million.
He said that about 13,000 (of the 45,000 non-qualified) or 29 percent paid no tolls on the MDX system, 31,800 (of the 45,000 non-qualified) paid less than $50 in tolls on the MDX system, and 37.8 percent non-qualify paid between $10 to $40 in tolls on the MDX system. These are all between January and June of 2015.
“We also saw that after receiving their 30 percent dividends check, for those that qualified, their toll rate was reduced from $0.70 per gantry on SR 836 to about $0.50,” Diaz said.
Later in the day, MDX staff visited the home of Charles Speakman who uses MDX expressways to commute to his job in downtown Miami.
“I think that a lot of people don’t realize how much MDX does for the community,” Speakman said. “We all hate gridlock and tolls, but it’s rare to find a local agency that finds unique ways to give money back to its users.”
Gail Coats, a teacher at Coconut Grove Elementary, also got a visit from MDX staff.
“What a surprise,” Coats said. “It’s nice to see a public agency giving back to the community. Thank you, MDX!”
Nearly 38,000 people who signed up for the MDX Cash Back Toll Dividend Program will receive checks this month. MDX is preparing to open enrollment in the Cash Back Toll Dividend Program again starting in January 2016. For more information, visit <http://mdxway.com/cashback>.
MDX operates and maintains five usersupported expressways in Miami-Dade County — SR 112/Airport Expressway, SR 836/Dolphin Expressway, SR 874/Don Shula Expressway, SR 878/Snapper Creek Expressway, and SR 924/Gratigny Parkway.
