Several thousand transit riders in Miami were lucky to get their hands on special commemorative Super Bowl cards last week, good for trips on local-area buses and trains. The collectible cards work just like normal smart card transit passes, only with a colorful design featuring the official NFL and Super Bowl XLIV logos.

The NFL-sanctioned cards went on sale February 1 and were sold up until game day last Sunday. Only a few thousand cards were printed, making them highly collectible. Now, those who picked up one of these little pieces of history can choose to display their cards as a collectible item, or continue to use them for riding buses and trains if they live in the Miami area.
Miami-Dade Transit switched over to a smart-card based fare collection system back in October 2009. These systems are becoming more and more popular because they help to reduce waste and they provide regular transit riders with a great deal of added convenience. Rather than throwing away bus and train passes after use, riders can add funds online or at kiosks so they can continue using the same card. Each time the rider boards a bus or train, all they have to do is wave or tap their card against a special reader and the fare is automatically taken from their balance.
Read more about transit pass programs…