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M•CARD Terms and Conditions

Effective Date: July 2, 2015

By purchasing an MCTS smart card (“M•CARD”) you agree to abide by these M•CARD Terms (“Terms”), our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy.

 

1. YOU MAY REGISTER YOUR M•CARD AND SET UP AN ACCOUNT.

If you register your M•CARD you will have greater protection in case your M•CARD is lost or stolen. If you decide to register your M•CARD, you can enter your information on the M•CARD Online store and create an account. You do not have to register your M•CARD, and there is no penalty for not registering your M•CARD. However, if you do not register your M•CARD you will not be issued a refund of your remaining Stored Value or passes if your M•CARD is lost or stolen. If you do not set up an account we will not collect or store any information you share with us.

 

2. HOW TO ADD PASSES AND STORED VALUE TO YOUR M•CARD.

You may load Stored Value and or pass products to your M•CARD at any MCTS designated sales outlets.  You may use cash (at sales outlets only) or a credit card to load money onto your M•CARD. You may also add pass products to your M•CARD by logging on to this website, www.RideMCTS.com and visiting the M•CARD Online store. You may add a maximum of $50 at one time and you may keep a maximum of $99 on your M•CARD. You may only keep one unused pass product on your card at a time. If the first pass product is activated, another pass product may be loaded and will not be activated until the first pass product expires. Your card will hold up to $99 in Stored Value, one activated pass product of any kind and one non-activated pass product of any kind. It may take up to 36 hours for your new balance to register in our systems and to be available for use on all MCTS buses. You can check the balance or expiration date of your M•CARD products by logging in to your M•CARD Online account (for registered users only) or calling M•CARD Services at 414-937-0470. Your remaining balance or pass expiration date will also show on the farebox display when you use your M•CARD to pay a fare on board MCTS buses.

 

3. YOUR M•CARD IS FOR YOUR USE ONLY.

If you have a unique, ID based M•CARD, (e.g. Commuter Value Pass, U-PASS, GO Pass, etc.) your M•CARD is for your personal use only. Do not give your unique ID pass M•CARD to other riders.  If you have a regular blue and green Adult M•CARD or a blue and red half-fare card, you may pay fares for additional riders by asking the operator to select the group fare option. Do not use any M•CARD that is not yours. Do not use an M•CARD that does not have any value. Repeated use of an M•CARD without proper ID or with insufficient value will result in forfeiture of your M•CARD and any related replacement fees for a new M•CARD.

 

4. WHAT TO DO IF YOUR M•CARD IS LOST OR STOLEN.

You are responsible for the safekeeping of your M•CARD and should treat it the same as cash or your credit/debit card. To protect any value on your M•CARD, MCTS highly recommends registering your card. Call M•CARD Services at 414-937-0470 immediately or log on to your M•CARD Online account and select the Lost/Stolen Card feature to report your M•CARD as lost or stolen so the card can be inactivated. If you have registered your card, the balance on your card is protected after you report your M•CARD lost or stolen. If your card is NOT registered, any Stored Value or pass products on your card are not protected.

 

If you have registered your M•CARD, when you notify us that your M•CARD is lost or stolen, MCTS will block that card from any future use. Once your M•CARD is blocked, it cannot be used again. You will not be reimbursed for any Stored Value or pass activity until we are notified that your registered M•CARD is lost or stolen. Registered account holders will not be responsible for unauthorized use of a lost or stolen M•CARD after reporting the loss to us, however it may take up to 36 hours for the M•CARD to be blocked against use on MCTS fareboxes. 
 

5.IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR M•CARD.

  • Do not punch holes in your M•CARD.
  • Do not bend, twist, or fold your M•CARD.
  • M•CARDs must be replaced before their printed expiration dates.
  • Users must present their M•CARD for inspection by authorized representatives of participating transit agencies' security, or law enforcement personnel upon request.
  • M•CARDs may be confiscated for misuse.
  • You must present identification with your M•CARD when requested.

 

6.  WHAT TO DO IF YOUR M•CARD IS DEFECTIVE OR DAMAGED.

An M•CARD is considered defective if an MCTS fare reader is unable to read the M•CARD and the M•CARD has not yet been used for the first time. If you receive a defective M•CARD, contact M•CARD Services by calling 414-937-0470 or in person at the MCTS Administration Building (1942 N. 17th Street). If your M•CARD is found to be defective, it will be replaced at no cost, provided that the defect(s) were not caused by your misuse or improper handling.  If you damage your M•CARD so that the MCTS fare reader is unable to read the card, you must come to the MCTS Administration Building (1942 N. 17th Street) so that any value on your damaged card can be transferred to a new card. In circumstances beyond a manufacturer defect of the card, there will be a minimum $2.00 replacement fee.

 

7. RULES FOR DAY AND MULTI-DAY PASSES.

You may purchase a day pass or a multi-day pass for use on our system. The pass will activate the first time you use it on an MCTS farebox to pay your valid fare and will continue the pre-determined validity period until the applicable amount of days has passed. No credit will be issued if you are not able to use the activated M•CARD pass due personal circumstances or due to bad weather or other environmental factors that may result in a suspension of service that MCTS has no control over.

 

8. OTHER TERMS

Termination.  We may terminate this agreement if you do not follow these Terms. Upon termination, your use of your account and registered M•CARDs may be blocked. If we terminate MCTS bus services permanently, any amount on your M•CARD/M•CARDs will be refunded to you or transferred to the comparable replacement system. If you cancel your account or if your account is terminated, you will remain responsible for any and all fares that are due or become due on your account.

Governing Law.  These Terms will be interpreted under the laws of the State of Wisconsin.

Disclaimer.  WE EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ANY REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY IMPLIED OR EXPRESS WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. YOU AGREE TO INDEMNIFY AND HOLD US HARMLESS FROM AND AGAINST ANY AND ALL DAMAGE, LOSS, COSTS, EXPENSE, OR LIABILITIES RELATING TO, ARISING FROM, OR AS A RESULT OF YOUR USE OF THE M•CARD.

Severability.  The invalidity of any part of these Terms will not affect any other part of these Terms, which will remain in full force and effect.

Modification.  We reserve the right to change these Terms at any time without advance notice.  If we make any material changes to these Terms, we will post a notice on this website.

Regulations. Use of MCTS is subject to all applicable tariffs, terms, conditions, rules, regulations, policies, and procedures.

 

Questions about these Terms or our Privacy Policy should be directed to M•CARD Services  at 414-937-0470or by email at mcardservices@mcts.org.