This is a great venue for sports and entertainment. We went to see TSO. They did a great job. When we see the Bears play it's always clean and a good time. Only complaint it the fact they charge $10 parking. We already spent $200 on a ticket. Why the need to nickel and dime you for another $10? read more

We were at the giant center this time for the PIAA State competitive spirit competition. Was very surprised that prices to get in were very cheep, staff kept the lines moving, food and drinks were all open and ready. Sound and video was great! We've been here many many times for other events, but this was the first time here for competitive spirit and it was a great experience. read more

Giant Center - PIAA state cheerleading competition - Stadiums & Arenas Near Me - Hershey, Pennsylvania

What a shame great hockey venue but horrible customer service from food stands to merchandise. Merchandise is by far the worst. Push you thru like cattle cut off the tags then say no refund. Btw the receipt say you have 30day but you don't have 3 minutes. read more

Came to watch the Hershey Besrs play, the event was fun and exciting. The security and honor staff were super friendly and helpful. Great family event, well kept facilities. read more

Giant Center - Stadiums & Arenas Near Me - Hershey, Pennsylvania

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Went here to see Trans-Siberian Orchestra. We arrived about an hour before the show started. It was $9 to park in general parking. Not too far away, but still a bit of a walk. The line to get in stretched out from the building, and at first, looked daunting. However, they were moving people through quickly. You must go through a metal detector and a security guard will briefly look in your purse/bag. With the crowds, tight seating, and security, I suggest bringing a small purse. Once inside, someone scans your ticket and tells you which direction your seats are. You may wander around it a bit and get some food if you wish, or head straight into the arena. Finding our seats was a bit confusing, as we'd never been there before. We were up in the high area, and some rows you can only access from certain areas, which is where the confusing part comes in. They have employees stationed all over to help people find their seats, but the man helping us could have been a little friendlier. However, security and the ticket scanner guy at the entrance were all kind and pleasant to deal with. The highest sections are very steep and if you're afraid of heights, may be unnerving at first. It's an impressive stadium, but as it fills up, it's a tight squeeze wherever you are or need to go. The seats had no cushion, but do have arm rests with cup holders. After sitting for about 3 hours, you're sore in certain areas. There's less leg room up where we were than in airplanes. Despite the seats being far from the stage, the performance was wonderful. TSO puts on an amazing show, and I don't think there's a lack of enjoyment from any seat. The acoustics were great, light show was phenomenal, and the entire performance was so much fun. Getting out of the arena and to the parking lot took longer than getting out of the parking lot to the road. The bridge across the road narrows, so the funneling of people jams up and it takes awhile to get across. Leaving the lot and getting to the main road was pretty painless, aside from some traffic which you expect. I haven't been to other venues of this capacity, but I'd say this one is pretty good. Sure, you'll spend and arm and a leg once its all said and done (especially if you purchase food or drinks), but it comes with the territory. read more

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I am missing going to concerts and sporting events. So why not reminisce? I've been here for concerts and for hockey and I've always enjoyed the venue. Its clean and bright and the seats are comfortable and have cup holders. Not sure if that changes the higher you go up but I've always been pleased. There's plenty of good food options and they're pricey but I've seen worse. I like that you can get local stuff like wings from Aroogas or draft beer from Evergrain brewery. There are plenty of bathrooms and even with a line you get in and out relatively quick. I don't like having to pay for parking. That's a gauge. I know you're not supposed to use your season pass parking when the park is open but why not? And I wonder how they'll enforce parking once that new Hershey restaurant opens up. I wonder if you'll have to pay to park if you're to eat there? I am sure these questions are answered somewhere I just don't know. Anyway I don't hesitate to come to anything at this venue. It's close to home, its clean, food and drink are plentiful, and parking is easy. Can't wait to come back for an event! read more

The Giant Center is a clean and well maintained facility. Just like Hersheypark is. I did a separate review on the park if you're interested. They have an especially wide variety of cuisine options to choose from. I almost didn't get the pork BBQ sandwich because and the promo image. I'm glad I ordered it. It was legitimate and very tasty. They need to update some of the food photography but it's probably up to the vendors, not the center. Don't get the popcorn or pretzels where you buy everything else. They have specialty vendors for both of those. The popcorn is excellent and the pretzels looked like quite a step up from the super pretzel braids. The hot chocolate is the same delicious blend they sell in the park and you can get it across from the Turkey Hill booth. All in all, the food options are on par with Hersheypark and are reasonably priced. If you can't tell, I like to eat! This was my first live hockey experience in my recollection. I had pretty good seats and even the nose bleeds don't look that bad. They have a very nice crowd and they are very welcoming to strangers. They really get into the games and cheer loud! If you love hockey, you'll love Giant Center! I was surprised at the level of security for this place. They have metal detectors and wands on hand. It's on the level of major league sporting events. All in all, I had a very good experience at the center and would definitely come back. They have some fun promotions coming up! read more

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If you need to bring a small bag with tampons or maxi pads don't bother going. I got turned away with a small bag that held my wallet, my phone and my tampons. The venue doesn't give a flying fuck if you bleed. By the way there were no machines inside to buy a tampon, and only one sensor sink on the wall worked. They should be embarrassed. It's a new form of discrimination. I came with my family, and this was horrible. I was told only my wallet would be permitted for a two day event!!! I couldn't fit my god damn tampons in my fucking wallet!!!! If you want to search my tiny bag fine! If you want me to walk through a metal detector and be wanded again fine! I have nothing to hide. When you send me back to my car that I paid hard working money for for a spot just to say I can't carry in my tampons fuck you! Women be warned! I have never been more inconvenienced or annoyed about anything as bad as this!!!! Of course all the guards were men too. God forbid there is one sympathetic woman. read more

Personally I like the Giant Center, and they do have some big names that come through every so often. I know Bruce Springsteen was there recently which seemed to make Dauphin county the center of the universe for an evening, but yeah others like blue man group, 50 cent, even a few presidential candidates have been through the place. I do find it a rather expensive venue, but I guess that's just the nature of the beast, I saw Ringling Bros here and was very impressed, not to mention it's the home of the Hershey Bears, a fun and affordable minor league hockey franchise. read more

Giant Center - Stadiums & Arenas Near Me - Hershey, Pennsylvania

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Thank you to the staff for a great day with Joyce Meyers. They quickly moved us through security and got us in. The security was so profession but wonderful. I had to laugh I had a selfie stick in my bag and security just reminded me not to pull it out during the conference. I totally understood but cracked up when my group was laughing. Security joked around and made us feel safe but also like friends. The cleaning team rocked and it was comfortable. Parking o thank you for all day parking!!! You made it so easier for our group in 3 cars!!! read more

Giant Center - Stadiums & Arenas Near Me - Hershey, Pennsylvania

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Have been here numerous times. It's big for a stadium that is generally used for AHL hockey. The stadium is clean which is good and they have multiple food options for fans. The food is decent but nothing spectacular. Majority of the seats have a good view of the ice. Also used for some high school sports such as wrestling. read more

This venue is a good one. It's not overly cold like many places are. Seats are spacious and there isn't really a bad seat it seems. It lost a star because they are not in modern times. They do not open u til 1 hour prior and the lines to get in were insane. If wanting to upgrade your seats they do not off this feature. In order to upgrade your seats you literally have to purchase new tickets. I think they need to update this as many other venues have upgrade seat availability. read more

Awesome time! Great environment, great seating, great food/drink choices! Overall it was a blast! This was our first visit to the Giant Center and we were not disappointed. Parking was a breeze, exiting was okay, and the arena itself was perfect. Very kid-friendly but overall maintained and organized to be this way. Go Bears! read more

Food service is terrible, they were not prepared to serve a stadium full of people. 30+ minutes in line and still 20 minutes away from the counter... read more

Nice concert venue. We Ubered from the Hampton and were dropped of at the door for the Chris Stapleton concert. The lines for food were crazy long, but we happily purchased popcorn and lemonade from the guys walking the stands. The seats are tight, don't turn around to quickly in your seat because you might get a pair of knees in your face. The restrooms are clean and set up to move people quickly. The parking lot cleared out quickly and we thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Giant Center! read more

Came for the Leeland/Chris Tomlin/Hillsong United concert last Friday night. Show was great! The venue gained a bit of my ire with a $20 parking charge that is not advertised anywhere that I saw. They even sent me emails before the event and did not make that known. Lines to gain entry were long but moved quickly. Lines for concessions were pretty long too and did not move very quickly and of course concessions are priced high but similar to other like venues. Getting out of the venue was not bad but it would have been nice for police direction at intersections outside of the venue. Traffic unnecessarily backed up at long cycle traffic lights that could have flowed much better with police control of the lights or police direction. We are from the Washington DC suburbs and came to the Giant Center to avoid having to go to this same concert in downtown DC. Overall the trip to Giant Center was worth it to stay out of the city. read more

As the home of my Washington Capitals affiliated Hershey Bears, I happen to enjoy the Giant Center. It is a small venue that is a lot like a lot of college arenas. I went there for my second Hershey Bears game this past weekend and had a very nice time. The fans are very hockey knowledgeable, and even though it was Game 1 of the Calder Cup Conference Finals, it wasn't sold out. Lines for things weren't very long at all. Beer is $5 a cup, which is a LOT cheaper than here in the Verizon Center. Everyone is so NICE when they give you food items - you can tell Aramark and their thefty employees don't work there. The restrooms are exceptionally clean. There are areas where you can get food and actually sit down to eat it. Crazy, right? Yes, it costs $7 to park there, which is a steal over having to pay $20 - $30 to park to see a Caps game. Doesn't bother me much at all. Overall, the arena and the parking remind me a lot of the old Capital Center, which is very near and dear to my heart. Therefore, it can do no wrong! In sum, if you're a Caps fan, do yourself a favor, get yourself some cheap tickets (my front row seats on the aisle only cost me $28 each) and go up and see the Caps players of the future. It's just a 2 hour drive up I-83 from the Washington area. If you plan it well enough, you can stay up there and do Hersheypark the next day, or even make a leisurely drive back through Amish country or Philly if you want a weekend road trip. B-E-A-R-S Bears! B-E-A-R-S Bears! B-E-A-R-S Bears!! Whooooooooo! read more

I want it known that I went out of my way to create an account for Yelp! simply to voice my concerns about my experience last night 3/1/15 at the Giant Center. A group of friends and I came from the Lehigh Valley to see the Bears versus the Phantoms. There were 8 of us in total with seats directly behind the home team penalty box. Like any group of fans at an away game, we expect some mild heckling and banter between ourselves and the home fans. What we got was overly disproportionate, creepy, unwelcoming treatment by the security staff of the stadium. Our group began chanting "Let's Go Phantoms!" to a resounding chorus of boos, which is to be expected. Apparently this didn't sit right with the home staff as security then gathered. One in our group was told we were not allowed to cheer for our team because there were "higher ups" there that didn't care for that. A few in our group were heckling the players in the penalty box, which seems pretty standard fair for most any game. No cursing... nothing overly personal was said. One person stood up and touched the glass, which brought immediate reaction from the security staff. Point taken - no touching the glass. Mind you, I think the worst thing that was said was "poop pants". From this point on we were continually harassed by security, culminating in security staff sitting in seats behind us, following others of our group around the concourse while they went to get beverages, and one security member sitting in the isle literally staring at us for 15-20 minutes. The weirdest thing about this is that we have all been customer service industry folks. Nothing out of the ordinary was happening, no one was cursing, no one was fighting. We weren't harassing the patrons. It became clear to us that the management staff of the stadium did not like the fact that people cheering for the Phantoms were sitting at center ice supporting the opposing team and aimed to harass us into leaving the venue. It was embarrassing watching a grown man itch to jump at the chance to yell at my friends for talking in the direction of the ice or cheer for their team. We left 5 minutes into the 3rd period and will not patronize this venue or the Hershey Bears organization again. I would recommend you to stay away from the Giant Center if you are looking to have a good time - they may have 20 security staff waiting to throw you out. read more

You really can't compare Giant Center to Verizon Center in DC. It's a complete different venue. I went to see Hershey Bears ice hockey game. I realize it is AHL and not NHL. They don't have the resources or budget like The Washington Capitals does being their farm team. I thought everybody was very friendly. The concession food prices were much less expensive than I would expect. Maybe I'm used to DC prices. The team store was nice. The Giant Center is clean, comfortable and welcoming. I'll come back to see another Bears game! read more

As much as it pains me to admit, the Giant Center is a palace for AHL Hockey. See I'm a Penguins fan from up North and the Bears are our arch southern rival. The Bears' arena is excellent in all respects. It's easy to navigate and find your seat. The sight lines are superb. The tickets are fairly priced. For 26 bucks you can sit in the lower bowl on the blue line. In most NHL arena's these are ~200$ seats. The food isn't cheap, but it certainly isn't grossly overpriced like you'd find at most other arenas. Plus they have some really unique Central Penna treats. Uncle Andy's Pretzels are my favorite. For ~8 bucks you can get a pretzel, topping, and a lemonade. That seems like a real steal for arena food. My only complaint is they have dogs on the concourse for some SPCA type charity. I don't think dogs belong in the arena under any circumstance. So even if your team is getting clobbered by the Bears, put on your favorite visiting team's sweater, come to the Giant Center and embrace the heel role of making friends with the locals. I'm certain you'll have fun. read more

Attended my first Hershey Bears game at the Giant Center over the weekend. The arena was clean and well maintained. You can really tell that the staff taking care of this facility takes pride in their work. All the staff that I encountered were polite and courteous.. even when directing fans out of the arena on a very windy evening. We arrived about 35 minutes before the game started. It took us about 10 minutes to make it through the security screenings and into the facility. I would give yourself at least 20-30 minutes to get through these procedures as their are only about 8-10 lines set up for non-season plan holders. The lines moved quickly while I was there and the staff were helpful in getting everyone through the process. Inside there were plenty of concessions and merchandise areas. The food ranged from hot dogs, pretzels, italian food,sandwiches and more. I thoroughly enjoyed the soft pretzel and the hot chocolate. I really wanted some ice cream but the machine was out of order. There were lines at the concessions but they moved relatively quickly. The two intermissions between periods provide a nice break to walk the concourse or get food. Plan to leave your seat about 4 minutes before the end of the period to make the most of the breaks. This also an ideal time to visit the rest room as those lines could get long at times. The one insider tip I can give you is to be advised that you cannot return to your seat until a break in the game play. You will be held up at the top of the section until an appropriate break. Not a big deal, it's just nice to know the policy beforehand. read more

Not to knock any of the other minor league games I have attended, but the Bears are the "gold standard" of game day experiences. Over the years I have been to regular season games, playoff games, and a all-star game. I started to go to Bears games because they are the farm team of my Washington Capitals. This time I saw both games this weekend against the St. Johns IceCaps. Everyone on and off the ice make sure that you have a great time at the game. I like philosophy that the only banners that matter are the championship one and those are the only ones that are hanging in the rafters. There is not a bad seat in the house. No matter if the Bear win or lose, I always had an enjoyable time. If you are wonder, the Bears won both games this weekend. read more

Giant Center - Section: 201 Row: C Seat: 1 - Stadiums & Arenas Near Me - Hershey, Pennsylvania

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By far the worst Arena to see any event in. Never been to an arena in my life where there's one way in and one way out. If there was a fire in that arena you might as well stand there and perish because you will not get off that floor. And let's not even talk about parking, you literally Drive in a circle around the stadium pay to park just a circle around the stadium again, because you can't park at the stadium they make you go closer towards Chocolate World, then stand in metal detector lines for 45 minutes. And the only way to get back to the parking lot is to cross a narrow bridge so now they have 10,000 people trying to cross the bridge at the same time so it's a bottleneck safety issue, how the fire marshal has not done anything about that is beyond me. If you're going to see a show travel elsewhere because the Giant Center is not the place to do it, the designer of the facility in the parking lot structures and the bridge should be ashamed of themselves. read more

Went to the giant center to see disturbed/Rob zombie. Easily one of the worst shows I have ever attended made by the staff. This is a hard rock/metal concert and they were throwing people out left and right for jumping around in the crowd. They had signs posted about crowd surfers will be ejected. They took away all elements of fun on the general admission floor. If you want to see a rock concert here get seats and sit still or stand still on the concert floor. They don't allow typical mosh pits etc like what you would come to expect. I was nearly thrown out for being punched in the back of the head and my shirt pulled on, just because they throw anyone out involved in a 'fight' regardless if you're just the one being attacked! Great place to see a Bears game, but rock concerts are no their thing. read more

Definitely nicer than Hershey Park Arena next door. Seats are more comfortable. Bathrooms were relatively updated. Many concession stands. Lots of room for vendors to peddle their wares. Security was a bit odd. Entries and exits weren't clearly marked. I was able to walk into the arena once bypassing security. I seriously doubt the guards remembered me. read more

A nice clean stadium. not huge and not state of the art but it will do. it is better than the old one. they have a lot of concerts here, the hershey bears play here, and the harrisburg stampede. it is nice to have an affordable option to watch sports games near home read more

Giant Center - Arena Football - Stadiums & Arenas Near Me - Hershey, Pennsylvania

Nice venue for watching ice hockey. Perfect temperature inside. No need for a sweater like at Consol Energy Center. Easy and ample parking though it isn't free. Cocoa Diner is a good place to go afterwards since it is open 24 hours. (Many places were closed by the time the game ended.) read more

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This is the best place to see AHL hockey. Every game produces over 9,000 a game and many close to ten thousand. The fans are faithful and loyal and show strong support for their team while still preserving a family atmosphere. It's the way a sporting event should be. read more

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I went to a concert with my husband and friends here. We go to a lot of concerts up and down the east coast and this is BY A LANDSLIDE the ABSOLUTE WORST venue I have ever been to. When we purchased water at one of the vendors we were not allowed to keep the lids to them. The staff removed them and told us that we couldn't have them because they were afraid that people would throw them at the performers. While I understand the reasoning behind this, it was incredibly inconvenient for us as we each purchased 2 bottles of water. Later we briefly left the show to use the restrooms and buy more water and ALL of the vendors were closed. We were told that water was no longer available for purchase and we needed to use the water fountains. There were no signs posted at any of the vendors to let people know that they would be closing at a certain time. Being February and peak cold and flu season we were not willing to use the fountains. The fact that there was no water available for purchase after a certain time is absolutely outrageous. Worst experience ever, will never be going to an event here ever again. read more

Went to a syncho ice-skating event. This place was terrible. When I tried to get in, they told me that absolutely no backpack was allowed. I had to take my backpack back to my car and take out my medicine and my blanket (which was used to keep myself warm) and then walked all the way back to stay in the line for getting through the security. OK, I thought it was for everyone. But, after I got in, I saw at least a dozen people carrying their backpacks. They were not the skaters or the coaches. They were not the staff either. What was it made me a lower class person who were not allowed to carry a backpack? I paid the same amount for the admission. Was it because I am not Caucasian? Terrible! It very much hurt my feeling. I am a man. But, I did want to cry. Also, there was no restroom at the registration area. This is humiliating. I saw a little girl needing to go the the restroom. Her parent literally needed to beg to get in for a restroom break. I feel very sad. Is this America? There were a lot of other issues. Like the registration personnel did not let people access the store at the registration area. They originally did not block it. And, there was no sign saying "do not enter." But, when someone wanted to get to the store, they yelled at him. This is the most unpleasant place I have ever been to. read more

Thus is a very nice venue. I was there recently for a Hershey bears game. The arena was kept clean and there was always a staff member to guide you to the right location. The wait to get food is a little much. I do not believe they have enough vendors for the amount if people coming to the events. read more

Easy to get to with plentiful parking. Modern and clean. Food offerings are pretty pitiful; pretty much on par with what you'd get at a high school concession stand. Chicken fingers and fries dominate. Seats are incredibly narrow. Plus-sized loves, you're in for an uncomfortable evening, even if you're fortunate enough to squeeze into the seat (I was not). read more

I went to the Hershey Bears game all season, and I'm handicapped. The problem is, there is not enough handicapped parking compared to the amount of people the event brings in. Yes, they do put us in a handicapped section, but it isn't close enough to the event center. People who are handicapped like me, cannot walk that distance. The Giant Center really needs to look over this and think about their customers needs. read more

Tonight was the 3rd & last Hershey bears game I will ever attend. The 1st game we sat near an obnoxious fan who was sitting behind the visitor's bench. He yelled & screamed insults at the opposing team the ENTIRE game. He had no interest in watching the game, he was just interested in getting drunk & trying to think of any insult he could, the guy must not have been shown enough attention as a child & was obviously picked on growing up & now wants to get even with the world. A security guard asked him to stop several times, but the guy laughed & hurled insults at him. I thought this was an isolated incident, so we went back the 2nd time. Unbelievably, this guy was there again & acted the same exact way, he had season tickets! Everyone around us felt very uncomfortable & we were told by other season ticket holders that this was an every game thing for this guy. I complained to security that night, again, and they said their hands were tied because the Giant Center management refuses to do anything about it or enforce their own "fan conduct" policies. So I contacted Hershey Bears management, as well as Giant Center management, the following day. They were both very familiar with this fan saying they've had numerous complaints about him. They said they would talk to him & try to tone him down, but said as long as he doesn't break any laws, there's not much they can do! Really?? This guy has to commit a crime before banning him from the arena?? How about enforcing your own policy on fan conduct which "strictly" prohibits this kind of behavior?? So I was dumb enough to go back for the 3rd time, and there he was drinking beer after beer and getting louder & more obnoxious the more he drank! Never again, I'll never go to the giant center ever again for any kind of event! The following is the Hershey Bears fan conduct policy which they do NOT enforce: POLICIES AND PROCEDURES - FAN GUIDELINES Guests must refrain from conduct that is inconsistent with the fun and family atmosphere at Giant Center. Such conduct includes but is not limited to: interfering with other guests' ability to enjoy an event; using foul or abusive language or gestures; appearing to be in a drunken or diminished capacity; failure to produce a ticket on request or sitting in a seat which is not ticketed; possession of unauthorized items; and interfering with an event. Violators are subject to ejection and possible arrest. read more

Giant Center - View behind visitors bench - Stadiums & Arenas Near Me - Hershey, Pennsylvania

Quite the upgrade from the old barn that the legendary Hershey Bears played in from 1936 - 2002. The Giant Center is a top notch AHL stadium hosting the most legendary team that the AHL has ever seen. The Bears are the current AHL Affiliate for the Washington Capitals. The Bears are credited with 11 Calder Cup Championships in the life of the franchise. What a great place to catch a hockey game! read more

A waste of space. Hardly any real artists come to Hershey, and when they do, they cancel. If you want to see a good concert you're better off going to DC, Philadelphia, or NY. read more

I cannot agree that the Giant center is a waste of space... every concert I have seen there has been great, and they were performed by well-known artists (there is a reason they were sold out!) I have seen Michael Buble there twice, and Transiberian Orchestra. Yes, the parking fee of $6 per car is a bit much. And yes, the traffic can be horrendous IF there is also something else occurring at the same time at the Hershey stadium and at the Park. For the most part, though, I enjoy coming to the Giant Center. The schedule is pretty wrapped up with the Hershey Bears hockey team in the winter, but they have great promotional nights and the games are intense and chock--full of team spirit. read more

The venue itself was pretty nice and seemed pretty clean and well kept. Staff was friendly. Bonus points for lids on the beer cups. Refreshment prices were typical. Parking however. .. $12 to park when you're already paying for event tickets is really excessive/ridiculous/unnecessary/thieving. Trying to leave the lot after the show was very chaotic. There was really no rhyme or reason to how they direct vehicles out and with multiple lanes closed off, it took us about 40 minutes to get out of the lot. I think if we ever go here again, I'd try to find parking elsewhere and walk to the stadium. read more

Went for a graduation and it's a really cool place, i was surprised it was so well done being as though it is in the middle of no where. Next time i see a cool concert playing here and not in Philly I might just consider going. Foods cheaper then the Wachovia Center as well. read more

This place is big. We were here for the 2014 Hershey RV Show. It was really great. They had just about every line of RV imaginable here. From very small to very large. From very inexpensive to really expensive. Vendors galore. Downside, the food and drinks was really expensive. The parking was not well organized. The taxis (golf carts) would go out of their way to NOT pick someone up and give them a ride to the front gate. So many were riding around with NO passengers. The Giant center needs to get their act together. read more