Contact: Kevin Elwood
Phone: (336) 412-6309

Students to Show School ID When Using HEAT & GTA

GREENSBORO, NC – (March 20, 2008) – Greensboro Transit Authority, in response to reports that student HEAT semester fare passes were being used fraudulently, now requires the presentation of school-issued student identification for access to the HEAT and GTA system, effective immediately.

Previous guidelines for use of the passes distributed through area colleges advised cardholders that transit operators could request identification at their discretion, but that has now become a requirement for access to the HEAT and GTA services.

“HEAT continues to grow as students and the general public learn the benefits of public transportation…especially with the state of our economy and fuel prices,” says Libby James, City of Greensboro Public Transportation Manager. “As in any type of public service, there will always be an element who will attempt to take advantage of the system. We believe that the person attempting to sell a HEAT pass was not a student, but had obtained the pass somehow…possibly from a current student. We have identified the card in question through its unique ID number and it is at this moment, no longer active. We will continue to observe the use of the passes to ensure that this doesn’t become a significant problem.”

GTA’s safeguards for the use of HEAT transit passes include the ability to deactivate any individually coded HEAT pass that is determined to have been used fraudulently. The fare collection boxes used on all HEAT and GTA buses also provide reports on usage that can give indications of abuse or fraud.

Because the passes are numbered sequentially by school and by student, any cards belonging to persons who are no longer active students can be deactivated as well. Because GTA does not receive or retain student identification information when the cards are issued to the partner institutions, the schools will assist with the process of targeting the correct cards for deactivation. Each card is good for one school semester, and will automatically become invalid at the end of the current school semester regardless of use.

The Greensboro Department of Transportation (GDOT) seeks to increase public safety and mobility through the effective planning and delivery of transportation services and operation of municipal transit. For more information about GDOT, contact us at (336) 373-GDOT (4368) or visit www.greensboro-nc.gov/gdot.

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The City of Greensboro works in partnership with the community to build an increased quality of life for all residents by fostering an environment where inclusion, diversity, and trust are valued. As the seventh largest employer in Greensboro, the City has a dedicated professional staff of 2700 employees who maintain four core values of honesty, integrity, stewardship, and respect. The City of Greensboro is governed by a council-manager form of government where a mayor and eight council members act as the legislative body. For more information on the City of Greensboro, please visit us online at www.greensboro-nc.gov