An app is revving up rewards for drivers who cross international bridges in El Paso

In the three months since Metropia added international bridge wait time data to its smartphone app, thousands of El Pasoans and Juarenses have used the app to navigate between the two cities through the least congested ports of entry — all while contributing to better, more accurate bridge wait time data than have ever been available before and garnering rewards from popular local and national merchant partners.

Metropia’s smart phone app has been downloaded more than 5,100 users in the Paso del Norte region since the addition of port-of-entry data on June 1, 2017. During that time, nearly 4,200 cross border trips have been taken using the app.

“By using the app’s navigation feature to plot a route from a point in Ciudad Juárez to a point in El Paso — or vice versa — motorists are not only being routed through the least congested port-of-entry, but they are also contributing to more accurate, reliable bridge wait time data,” said Tania Chozet, Metropia’s El Paso Community Manager. “When you plug in a cross-border destination and follow the route generated by the app, you’re helping Metropia and our partners better understand in real time how long it’s actually taking to get across the border.”

But a less congested cross-border route isn’t the only reward: Metropia users get points for traveling at the best time, using the best route. Those points can be redeemed for rewards including Starbucks and Amazon gift cards.

“We’re thankful to the thousands of Metropians who are already using the app to plan ahead while traveling through our region’s ports-of-entry, but we want to go farther because the more people who use the app, the better the data get,” Chozet said.

That’s why Metropia is making it even more rewarding to use the app. Metropia will now give motorists 150 reward points for every trip they make using the app to navigate through our region’s ports-of-entry. Those points can be redeemed for gift cards from our merchant partners. For example, a cross-border commuters who use the app to navigate every day — once in the morning and once in the evening — could be eligible for up to $10 worth of gift cards each week.

“If you’re commuting anyway, why not be rewarded while contributing to a better understanding of bridge wait times?” Chozet said.

Metropia is provided to the El Paso/Juárez region as a joint service of the Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority, the El Paso Metropolitan Planning Organization, the Texas Department of Transportation and the City of El Paso. For more information, visit Metropia.com/elpaso.

The app is available for free in the iTunes store and via Google Play.