State Expands Employee Swipe and Ride Transit Service to Memphis

 

NASHVILLE – State government employees who work in the Memphis area will now be able to ride public transit to and from work at no cost under a new agreement reached between the Memphis Area Transit Authority and the Tennessee Department of Transportation. State employees will be able to start signing up for the program on September 1, 2009.

 

“TDOT is a big supporter of public transit across the state and we are pleased to be able to work with MATA to provide this service for state employees in the Memphis area,” said TDOT Commissioner Gerald Nicely. “This program will help reduce congestion on our highways and improve air quality in the Memphis area which are important goals for our agency.”

 

The new service is part of the state’s Swipe and Ride program which currently operates in Nashville through a partnership with Nashville’s Metropolitan Transit Authority. The new agreement with MATA will provide state employees in Greater Memphis area with transit rides to and from work at no cost until at least September, 2010. The service will be available for work trips only. The program extends to all MATA services, including the downtown trolleys.

 

"I'm pleased TDOT and MATA are working together to provide state employees in Memphis with this valuable program," said Senator Jim Kyle, Chairman of the Shelby County Legislative Delegation, "The members of the delegation learned of this proposal during one of our weekly meetings, we fought hard to make it a reality, and I am very pleased with the end result."

 

Beginning September 1, 2009 state employees in the Memphis area who wish to apply for a transit pass should go to the TDOT’s Smart Commute web site (www.tn.gov/tdot/smartcommute/default.htm) and fill out an application or they can pick up an application from their department’s Human Resources Office.  TDOT will then coordinate card issuance with MATA. 

 

“We are pleased to join forces with TDOT to introduce more Memphis residents to the convenience of taking transit to work each day,” said William Hudson, President and General Manager of MATA. “We hope more employers in the Memphis area will follow the state’s lead and get on board with this program and provide this benefit to their employees.”

 

Under the new agreement, the state will pay MATA a lump sum of $150,000 to provide transit service to and from work to all state employees in the Memphis area at no cost to the employee.

 

MATA’s route information is available online at www.matatransit.com or by contacting the MATA customer service center at 901-274-6282.

 

# # #