MARTA To Fix BREEZE Card Overcharge Glitch
MARTA and Gwinnett County Transit have decided to fix a glitch in the BREEZE card software that overcharged some Gwinnett commuters.
The move follows a FOX 5 I-Team investigation that uncovered the problem.
But, Senior I-Team reporter Dale Russell says the problem appears to go further than Gwinnett County.
According to emails obtained by the FOX 5 I-Team, the glitch has been an issue ever since Gwinnett Xpress buses began using MARTA breeze cards. One Gwinnett official complained:
"They (MARTA) refuse to admit to the glitch even though we have provided them with numerous examples"
MARTA informed us that the Gwinnett County Transit system has formally requested that MARTA authorize its vendor, Cubic, to fix the glitch.
Gwinnett County promised to provide information to its passengers and let them know of the change.
Meanwhile, the FOX 5 I-Team has now learned the BREEZE card glitch that causes riders to be overcharged is also happening in Cobb County and GRTA.
Cobb County Transit emails, obtained by the FOX 5 I-team, show customers complaints of overcharging.
One Cobb transportation official alerted MARTA but "did not receive a response from MARTA regarding a permanent fix."
William Perry, head of Georgia Ethics Watchdogs says: “Who’s going to take time to make sure fifty cents here, or there is right? It's on the government to fix this problem.”
MARTA officials estimate about 5% of all Breeze card holders in Gwinnett, nearly 300 people could be overcharged at times. We don't know the numbers for GRTA or Cobb county riders.
A MARTA official says they are "investigating" the overcharge issue in Cobb County and with GRTA commuters.