Price Chopper and the Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) have joined forces to introduce an extension of the grocery chain’s “Fuel AdvantEdge” program that will offer CDTA riders the opportunity to pay less to ride area buses by using the Price Chopper AdvantEdge card.

“CDTA iride AdvantEdge” provides a new twist on the popular Fuel AdvantEdge program: the opportunity to redeem Fuel AdvantEdge points not just for fuel, but also for discounts on bus pass purchases. It will pilot for three months, with the option to continue depending on how well it performs.

Less than a year after the June 2009 Capital Region launch of Fuel AdvantEdge, over 10,000 Price Chopper shoppers are redeeming their fuel discounts daily in upstate New York’s Capital Region. The new program will enable transit riders to take advantage of comparable savings opportunities on bus passes.

“This new program promises to be a dynamic addition to Price Chopper’s arsenal of Fuel AdvantEdge savings,” noted Neil Golub, president and CEO of Schenectady, N.Y.-based Price Chopper. “It gives us the opportunity to help our customers save money not only on groceries and fuel, but on mass transit passes through CDTA as well.” He added that the program would also help reduce carbon emissions.

“The availability of CDTA fare products at Price Chopper locations throughout Albany, Schenectady, Rensselaer, and Saratoga counties supports a comprehensive strategy to make public transit in the Capital Region more accessible, convenient, and reliable,” said CDTA chairman David Stackrow.

As with Fuel AdvantEdge, CDTA iride AdvantEdge is an ongoing, cumulative savings/reward program. While Fuel AdvantEdge rewards consumers with 10-cent-per-gallon savings on up to a 20-gallon fill-up for every $50 spent on groceries, iride AdvantEdge converts that discount to a $2 cash savings off the purchase of a bus pass. (20 cents per gallon on up to 20 gallons based on $100 spent in groceries converts to a $4 cash savings off the purchase of a bus pass, 50 cents per gallon on up to 20 gallons based on $150 spent on groceries coverts to $10 cash savings, and so on). Shoppers can amass points/dollars spent across a 90-day period and cash in their discounts at their convenience.

The program lets customers immediately apply their AdvantEdge card discount rewards toward the purchase of a bus pass. Price Chopper employees will process pass discounts at the customer service desks. Bus passes eligible for the program include the 31-day Rolling Swiper pass (available only at Price Chopper and CDTA offices), the 10-trip Pass and the STAR ticket coupon books.

The 12 stores chosen as redemption sites for the pilot program are near CDTA’s highest-volume bus stops. CDTA Travel Trainers will be stationed at those stores, on buses and at major bus stop locations during the first week of the program’s rollout to help customers and answer any questions. Those who enroll for the AdvantEdge card and complete a survey will be eligible to win a free CDTA 31-day Rolling Swiper pass. (One such pass will be given away at each participating store.)

The Price Chopper AdvantEdge card, available free at any of the chain’s customer service desks, entitles its holder to savings on groceries, fuel, bus passes and admission to various community events. Customers can find out more about CDTA iride AdvantEdge at www.pricechopper.com/bus or www.cdta.org, or they can pick up a program brochure at Price Chopper stores, in CDTA schedule racks and on buses.

The Golub Corp. owns and operates 119 Price Chopper grocery stores in New York, Vermont, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The company’s approximately 25,000 associates collectively own 52 percent of the company’s privately held stock.