News

First Linux-Based Kiosk Deployment: Travel Centers of America

May 24, 2004

       Travel Centers of America, the largest travel center network in the the United States, and Apunix Computer Services, developer of the state-of-the-art user-configurable, platform independent, multimedia touch screen kiosk, announce the highly successful launch of Travel Centers' RoadKing Club™ and RoadMile Marker™ Kiosk Program. The program provides loyalty benefits and rewards for professional truck drivers who utilize services provided at 160 Travel Centers of America locations across the United States. Each location serves professional drivers and motorists alike, offering highway roadside fueling service, parking, showers, a full-service restaurant, fast food restaurants, truck service and repair, laundry, truck weighing station, truckers' lounge and game room, and travel store.

      The RoadKing Club program consists of a membership card and the touch screen kiosk to access benefits. The card is used by members to swipe at a Pronto Pay fuel pump at any TA location in order to collect points. Members get one TA Road Mile point for every gallon of diesel fuel purchased, with one point equivalent to one cent. Cards are then scanned at the kiosk to check point balance as well as to redeem points. RoadMile redemptions include food, store items, repair services and parts, showers, long distance telephone time, and store discounts. Drivers can redeem points by printing instant redemption certificates at the kiosk; they can also use the kiosk to change their personal profile.

State-of-the-Art Kiosk Deployment

    This deployment is yet another example of Apunix's unique and cutting edge kiosk technology: The national rollout for these Linux-based kiosks was simultaneous to all 160 Travel Centers locations from coast-to-coast, making it the largest and fastest deployment of its kind. Furthermore, all of the content creation, content updates, and database interfacing was done remotely by Apunix in San Diego, California. All the kiosks access a central Oracle database server at Travel Centers' corporate headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio. The kiosks had to be plug and play as there was no on-site technical expertise available at each of the travel centers. The kiosks were unloaded, hooked up, remotely installed, tested, and then all turned on for public use the same day.

     According to Bill Barkus, Vice President of Travel Centers: "Apunix has created a dynamic eye catching kiosk in record time that will be attractive to our drivers. Apunix was chosen as Travel Center's partner because of its reputation of delivering industry leading solutions. Their ability to integrate database content, and their remote management tools are key to the success of the (RoadKing) program."

• 160 Linux kiosks remotely managed and updated.
• Largest and quickest kiosk deployment of its kind.
• Graphic and text content comes directly from corporate databases.
• Kiosk transactions and loyalty point accumulation in database are recorded in real time.

Success and Increased Sales

     There are 350,000 drivers enrolled in the RoadKing Club reward program, with that same number exposed to the TA RoadMile Marker Kiosks every day. Travel Center sales, typified by fuel sales, have been on the increase since the start of the Road King program, of which the TA RoadMile Marker Kiosks are an important part.

     According to Dave Hanzal, TA RoadMile Marker Kiosk Project Manager:"Drivers as well as TA employees have been embracing the program and enjoy using the kiosks."Unlike fueling programs at other truck stops, the TA RoadKing Club, with the RoadMile Marker Kiosk, makes point redemption quick and easy. It's just a quick scan of the membership card, with nothing to mail and no pieces of paper to track and add up.