Tampa, Florida, residents will soon have the opportunity to travel around the city in a vibrant yellow Tesla Model Y taxi for only $2 per ride.
A nonprofit organization called the Tampa Downtown Partnership recently introduced the Downtown Area Shared Hubs (DASH) service. The service allows Tampa residents to book a Model Y taxi ride through a smartphone app.
DASH enables users to travel between 20 different hub points located throughout downtown Tampa. Officials have yet to unveil where these hub points will be located.
Service hours are from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays.
The DASH service pairs up to four passengers for each trip between hubs. The Tesla Model Ys will be driven by extensively trained “driver-ambassadors.”
According to Carscoops, the service will commence this month. However, a specific date has yet to be announced. It’s also unclear how many Model Ys will be included in the DASH fleet.
Shaun Drinkard, the interim president of the Tampa Downtown Partnership, expressed the organization’s intention to provide a unique and distinctive transportation alternative with DASH. The bright yellow Tesla Model Ys will be a standout addition alongside Tampa’s streetcars, e-bikes, scooters, and Pirate Water Taxi service.
The Partnership’s financial support of DASH is why the Model Y taxi service is able to offer discounted fares.
The DASH service aims to connect major downtown destinations, including city parks and other significant venues.
DASH defines downtown Tampa as encompassing the following neighborhoods: the River Arts District, the Downtown Core, the Channel District, Water Street, Encore, West River, and Tampa Heights. All seven neighborhoods will have DASH service.
DASH is the latest example of how the US ridesharing industry is shifting toward EVs. Uber and Lyft have both announced that they will require all US vehicles to be electrified by 2030.
Image Source: Tesmanian.com, https://shorturl.at/bEV19
