http://cleantechnica.com/2015/01/20/drivr-green-transportation-tesla-taxi-service-startup-cincinnati/ Drivr Green Transportation — Tesla Taxi-Service Startup In Cincinnati January 20th, 2015 by James Ayre
[image http://cleantechnica.com/files/2015/01/image45.jpg Image Credit: Screen Capture ] There’s a new Tesla-using taxi service in the city of Cincinnati — one founded by two ex-Tesla employees, as per recent reports. The new company — which goes by the name of Drivr Green Personal Transportation — is being marketed as an alternative of sorts to services such as Uber and Lyft. Of course, in this case, you get to ride in a decked-out Tesla — not some random gas guzzler. Rates for the service are currently set at $2.50-a-mile — with a minimum charge of $15. The service is door-to-door, accommodates up to 4 passengers, and can be booked online (here). And all of the cars are outfitted with free LTE WiFi, smartphone-charging, a 17-inch navigation-screen for the passenger to observe the route-taken, and complete passenger control over the 200-watt sound-system. The billing system is reportedly a simple one-step process — but I can’t vouch for this yet. (Btw, thanks to “neroden” on the Tesla Motors Club forum for finding and posting about this service) Here’s a bit of background via the Cincinnati Business Courier: Drivr was born in February 2014 when Brandon Beard, who has a background in digital product design, and Nick Seitz, who has worked with several local tech startups, were working part-time at Tesla in Kenwood. “I was an avid Tesla enthusiast and owner. We got the idea that this green transportation, this electric transportation, makes sense as mass transit,” Beard told me. The pair crunched the numbers and Beard said they realized they could operate Teslas at a significantly reduced-rate (as compared to) gasoline cars. Drivr began in August by testing its three Tesla Model S cars on ridesharing service Uber. They had customers who wanted to be able to request their Teslas for future rides – something Uber doesn’t allow. That gave Drivr its model going forward, Beard said. As it stands, Drivr currently employs 7 drivers, who operate the three Model S EVs 20–22 hours a day. The company is currently planning to lease a further 10 Teslas in the coming months, and to increase its driver numbers up to 30. The company actually still offers its services on Uber’s Black Car service, but is now planning to focus more on its own system. Speaking on the topic of the target market, Beard noted: “We’re going after the same market of people who want the on-demand service. We find it’s a significant amount. On the average day we do 10 airport runs. We’re trying to meet the demand that exists.” Something that wasn’t mentioned before, but is potentially relevant to some of those reading this — Drivr also serves as a mobile concierge service of sorts, and can pick things up for you (groceries, take-out, dry cleaning, etc), or drop them off after you’ve left the vehicle. [© cleantechnica.com] ... http://www.godrivr.com/ Drivr 513.428.4655 request @godrivr.com https://www.facebook.com/mydrivr http://www.bidnessetc.com/32980-former-tesla-motors-inc-employees-launch-ev-taxi-startup/ Former Tesla Motors Inc Employees Launch EV Taxi Startup By: Martin Blanc Jan 21, 2015 Two ex-Tesla Motors employees have launched a green ride-sharing taxi service, called Drivr Green Personal Transportation, which uses Tesla Model S electric sedans rather than gasoline vehicles Amid growing popularity of Uber and Lyft, a new ride-sharing service that only uses electric vehicles has emerged in Cincinnati, Ohio. The service is known as “Drivr Green Personal Transportation” and has been created by two former Tesla Motors Inc workers. According to an article in Green Car Reports, Drivr is positioning itself as a premium alternative to the likes of Uber and Lyft, whereby consumers will get to ride in luxurious fully-equipped Tesla Model S sedans instead of regular gasoline-powered taxis. Drivr charges customers $2.50 per mile with a minimum payment of $15 per journey. It can cater to a maximum of four persons at a given time and much like other competing services, users can search and hail cabs online and on-the-go using the mobile application. In addition, Drivr facilitates seamless door-to-door service and the Tesla cars offer LTE Wi-Fi, smartphone-charging, a 17-inch navigation-screen for the passenger to observe the route-taken, and a 200-watt sound-system, the usage of which is free for all customers. Currently, Drivr has only three Tesla Model S electric sedans as part of its fleet with around seven drivers, but plans to grow rapidly. The startup is in the process of leasing ten more Tesla vehicles in the next few months as well as increasing the number of its drivers to 30. Drivr’s co-founder Brandon Beard notes that the company is targeting consumers inclined toward on-demand service. He added that the target market includes a substantial amount of consumers whilst mentioning that its drivers do around ten airport runs on a daily basis. Drivr Green Personal Transportation was founded last year in February through the joint efforts of Brandon Beard, a digital product design specialist, and Nick Seitz, who has on previous occasions collaborated with several startups. At that time both individuals were working for Tesla Motors in a part-time capacity. Mr. Beard previously noted that he was a huge fan of Tesla and along with Nick Seitz saw great potential in green transportation given the rising popularity of ride-sharing apps. Drivr subsequently began operations in August 2014. 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