Two students create off-campus card program
Two University of Arizona students, who wanted to give their classmates more off-campus eating options, have created CampusBucks, a debit card-like plan. The two started working on the project over the summer. That involved getting financing, designing a logo, recruiting restaurants and other merchants and even figuring out card-swiping machines. They also had to withstand a last minute legal challenge from the Tucson, Ariz. school.
Students who sign up get a pre-loaded card which they can use at member businesses, which includes restaurants, grocery stores, pharmacies and hairdressers. CampusBucks collects a transaction fee from merchants each time the card is used.
“It’s not necessarily doing it better, but it’s giving the students the options they want,” said one of the CampusBucks founders.
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