FRAMINGHAM, Mass. -- Cumberland Farms made the evening drive a little less painful for Massachusetts Turnpike commuters on March 15. Tolls were free from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. for travelers passing through the Allston/Brighton, Natick and Weston toll plazas (Interchanges 13, 15 and 19) on Interstate 90 through a sponsorship by Cumberland Farms.
The convenience store chain was touting its SmartPay Check-Link program. It is spending more than $25,000 for the cash tolls and $3,100 for E-Z Pass charges, according to The Boston Business Journal.
The Cumberland Farms SmartPay Check-Link payment program allows users to pay for gasoline and in-store purchases using their mobile phone or with a swipe of a card. After completing a free online enrollment process at cumberlandfarms.com/smartpay, customers automatically save 10 cents on every gallon of gasoline, every day.
Cash customers must still stop at the toll plaza. E-ZPass holders will receive a credit on their monthly statement and details about SmartPay. Along with covering the cost of all tolls, Cumberland Farms is also paying for signage and any promotional handouts.
In 2012, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) logged approximately 12,000 toll transactions at the sponsored plazas on the Friday before St. Patrick's Day.
"This small gesture--like our SmartPay program--is all about passing some green back to our customers, whether treating them to a free toll or saving them 10 cents on every gallon of gas they buy," said Cumberland Farms president Ari Haseotes. "This is just another way in which Cumberland Farms makes life easier for busy people every day."
Cash customers must still stop at the toll plaza. E-ZPass holders will receive a credit on their monthly statement and details about SmartPay. Along with covering the cost of all tolls, Cumberland Farms is also paying for signage and any promotional handouts.
"We are pleased to partner with Cumberland Farms on this toll sponsorship," said MassDOT secretary Richard A. Davey. "Finding valuable ways to give back to our motorists is part of MassDOT's commitment to customer service."
The Cumberland Gulf Group, Framingham, Mass., is a strategic amalgamation of Cumberland Farms Inc. and Gulf Oil LP. Cumberland Farms has a market-leading position throughout the Northeast as well as a significant presence in the Mid-Atlantic region and Florida. Cumberland Farms is parent company to Gulf LP, one of the largest wholesalers of refined petroleum products in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. In 2011, the Cumberland Group generated about $13 billion of sales through a footprint of 589 convenience store locations operated under the Cumberland Farms banner and through the operations of Gulf Oil. The Cumberland Group is a privately held, family-owned and managed company that includes real-estate and midstream gasoline operations.
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