Nearly 55,000 drivers got a special “present” in December from MDX – as part of their second-annual cash-back program for commuters who frequent the five Miami-Dade expressways managed and maintained by the agency.
But if you missed out, you now have a chance at qualifying for the new enrollment year – as long as you make a resolution to register between Jan. 11 and March 31, 2017.
The new and improved refund program, approved by the MDX Board in the summer of 2015, distributes savings from operational efficiencies of the agency to MDX customers that qualify.
According to MDX Executive Director Javier Rodriguez, it’s easy to enroll in the 2017 program. Starting Jan. 11, customers are invited to visit www.mdxway.com, click the link on the home page to register, enter their Sunpass transponder number (located above the barcode of the transponder), and start saving.
“One of the built-in benefits of the program is that customers are allowed to enroll as many transponders as they have on one account,” Rodriguez added, “but each one will need to qualify individually for a cash back reward. Checks for those who qualify are sent at the end of the year – just in time for the holidays, in December 2017.”
Rodriguez also noted that most drivers who participated during the previous (2016) program year received checks reflecting one third of what they use in tolls in the MDX system, with the average check totaling $100.
“The total disbursement amount in savings in 2016 came to $5.5 million,” he said, “and all registered drivers with a SunPass transponder who spent $8.50 or more a month or $100 a year on tolls qualified for the program.”
This program only applies to MDX roads which includes SR 112/Airport Expressway, SR 836/Dolphin Expressway, SR 874/Don Shula Expressway, SR 878/Snapper Creek Expressway, and SR 924/Gratigny Parkway.
Here’s how the program works: Every year, MDX prepares its annual budget. At the end of the fiscal year, after the agency meets its financial obligations (including all annual principal and interests payments), and covers its operation and maintenance costs, any savings resulting of operational efficiencies are passed on to its customers in the form of a cash-back checks. The cash back has the effect of lowering the toll rate about 30 percent for customers of the MDX expressways.
“We’re pleased that we can pass on savings to our frequent drivers as a result of our administrators working tirelessly to find operational efficiencies as projects are completed as promised,” said MDX Board Chair Louis Martinez. “We hope this extra cash makes the holidays a little brighter for the drivers we serve.”
Funded entirely by the tolls collected on its roadways, MDX is a non-profit government agency created to operate, maintain, and improve the five user-supported expressways in Miami-Dade County. MDX receives no outside revenue from property taxes, gas taxes, sales tax or federal, state, or local taxes. All funds are reinvested back into MDX and its expressways to reduce congestion and improve safety – and in the process, they create thousands of jobs for small and local businesses in our community, generating more than a billion dollars in economic impact over the next five years. Oversight is provided by the MDX Board consisting of local business and community leaders that can include elected officials appointed by the governor and the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners.
For information on projects under planning, design, and construction please visit www.mdxway.com/projects.
