TransCard, a leading provider of prepaid debit card solutions branded with MasterCard, Discover Network and STAR associations-is launching a prepaid transportation card program with the Chattanooga-based company Taxi on Demand.
Taxi on Demand (TOD) is a prepaid card that comes in denominations of $35, $50, $100 and $200-providing cardholders with taxi-specific services anywhere in the United States, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Cardholders have access to a toll-free call center number, printed on the front of the card, that allows them to be connected directly to cabs in their vicinity that accept the TOD card.
The card can only be used for taxi services and will be declined if the cardholder tries to make any other type of purchase.
"As the father of a college student, I know the anxiety parents experience while their kids are away at school. Through Taxi on Demand, I hope to help give parents peace of mind about their children's safety," says John "Thunder" Thornton, Chairman of Taxi on Demand. "We expect this service to be very popular with not only students, parents and grandparents-but also student organizations, such as sororities and fraternities, that want to ensure the safety of their members by providing them TOD cards."
The Taxi on Demand concept is the creation of Johnny Thornton, Jr., Founder & Vice Chairman of TOD. He developed the Taxi on Demand idea while attending the University of Tennessee.
"All parents worry about their children. We have been there and realize how easy it is to forget to put cash in your wallet or to not have money at all," says Jerry Uffner, TransCard's President. "Now, with the Taxi on Demand card, we no longer have to worry about our children or loved ones getting home safely-no matter where they are, what time it is or if they have cash. It's a great anxiety alleviator."
While TOD cards were designed with college-aged kids in mind, cards can be used for and by anyone-regardless of their age.
"The Taxi on Demand card is a perfect marriage between a market need and a cost-effective solution that meets this need on multiple levels," says Craig Fuller, CEO of TransCard. "Our company believes in using the prepaid platform to provide inventive and groundbreaking payment solutions that are very much outside of the box. We look at prepaid as the future of the financial system-and Taxi on Demand is one more step closer to this future."