Breeze Cards are now available in all 38 rail stations and can be ordered online or by picking up a form from a customer service representative or MARTA RideStore. Cards have already been mailed out to over 26,000 customers.

The cards are different from Breeze tickets, which have been used during the transition. They are designed to last for four years and are eligible for balance protection — a program through which registered customers can recover the value programmed on to their card if it is lost or stolen.

MARTA is encouraging all customers — whether frequent or occasional — to get a Breeze Card. Until March 2007, they can be ordered free of charge online at www.breezecard.com or by using order forms. The cards can also be purchased at rail station vending machines for $5.

Important information about the Breeze program:

• Transfers are encoded directly onto Breeze cards or tickets. Customers needing a transfer MUST tap their card on the faregate when LEAVING the station or the farebox when BOARDING a bus.
• MARTA's current monthly and weekly discount programs have been changed to 7 and 30 day programs that start on the first day of card/ticket use, rather than on the first day of the week or month.
• Breeze Cards can be loaded with up to $100 in stored value, multiple trips or monthly, weekly and weekend passes. The cards last for four years and are eligible for balance protection.
• Breeze tickets expire 90 days from purchase, can only store up to $20 in value and do not offer balance protection.
• Free Breeze Cards are available until March 2007. After that time, Breeze Cards will cost $5.00 and Breeze tickets will cost $.50.

MARTA has received the National Natural Gas Vehicle (NGV) Achievement Award recognizing the Authority's outstanding contributions to the advancement of natural gas as a vehicular fuel. The award was presented by the Clean Vehicle Education Foundation (CVEF) and NGVAmerica at the National NGV Conference/Summit held in Ontario, California, earlier this month. Winners are selected by an independent committee of NGV industry suppliers and clean air/vehicle advocates.

MARTA is committed to improving air quality by using alternative-fuel buses that emit 90 percent fewer particles into the air, greatly reducing the negative impact to the environment. MARTA's entire bus fleet is comprised of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and clean diesel buses, which meet all current emissions standards. Any new buses will meet or exceed 2010 federal emissions standards. Each day, MARTA's bus and rail system helps to reduce air pollutants by 3.5 tons (NOX) and 1.8 tons (VOC) by removing thousands of cars from Atlanta roads.

As part of MARTA's overall mission to improve service and enhance the customer experience, the Authority is reminding customers and employees that "It's Your MARTA — Pitch It In!" The program is designed to encourage everyone who uses MARTA to contribute to keeping the system attractive and clean.

This fall, you'll see new posters, rail and bus cards and trash can wraps that remind everyone to keep MARTA clean. Electronic messages and rail announcements will also include friendly reminders about not littering and that eating or drinking on the train or bus is prohibited.

What Can You Do to Keep MARTA Clean?

• Please throw away all trash in designated receptacles.
• Refrain from eating or drinking on the train or bus.
• Alert MARTA customer service staff immediately if you see any maintenance issues such as spills, trash or problems with facilities that need attention.

MARTA's newest police K-9 team member has received a protective vest from Vest 'N Police Dog Protection (P.D.P.), an organization that raises money to provide canine protective vests to area law enforcement agencies. This is the ninth K-9 vest that the non-profit group has donated to MARTA.

Vest 'N P.D.P. was created by Susie Jean in July 2002 to raise funds to provide bulletproof/stabproof vests to police K-9 units. To date, Vest 'N P.D.P has outfitted 40 police dogs with protective vests at a cost of $695 per vest to help protect them from the dangers they face while serving and protecting communities.

MARTA's Explosive Detection K-9 Unit was created in 1997 and has grown to include nine teams, each consisting of an officer and handler. The teams are federally trained and certified in the detection of explosive chemicals and compounds. MARTA was the first transit agency in the nation to receive TSA-certified dogs in a pilot program begun in 2000. Members of MARTA's K-9 Unit participated in the 2004 Presidential Inauguration in Washington, D.C., the G-8 Summit held in Savannah in 2004, and often assist local police departments with explosive surveillance and detection.

For more information on Vest 'N P.D.P. and how to support the organization, please visit www.vestnpdp.com/about.html or call 770-745-1772.

For more information on the MARTA police department, please visit the agency's web page at www.itsmarta.com/police or call 404-848-4900.

The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) has successfully implemented the first phase of its Business Transformation Program (BTP) — a comprehensive effort to automate the Authority's business processes, improve productivity and make financial systems more flexible. Phase I, which implemented the Financials and Maintenance and Materials Management systems, went live on Monday, October 2, making MARTA the first transit organization in the industry to initiate a project of this scope on schedule and on budget.

MARTA undertook this project to replace its aging business systems (Financial Information System, Human Resource Information System, Maintenance and Materials Information System) with an integrated suite of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)/Enterprise Asset Management (EAM)/Optram applications to change business processes, enhance operations and improve productivity. IBM was chosen as systems integrator for the implementation of software purchased from Maximus Inc., Oracle Corporation and Bentley Systems in November 2004.

The implementation of Phase I allows MARTA to transform the way it performs business by streamlining manual processes such as electronic processing of purchase requisitions, automating computer functions, and creating safeguards that prevent entry of erroneous data. It also will allow MARTA to adopt the industry's best practices to enhance operational performance and improve communication within and across divisions.