Free EV car rides coming to SouthPark area
SouthPark introduces free on-demand EV rides called the 'SouthPark Skipper' starting Nov. 15
The following article appeared in the September 26, 2024, edition of The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with smart and original local news for Charlotte. We offer free and paid subscription plans. More info here.
Free on-demand EV car rides are heading to SouthPark; New ‘SouthPark Skipper’ aims to ‘feel like a concierge service’
by Tony Mecia
The SouthPark area is getting a free Uber-like service that will pick up and drop off people within the area’s business district.
It’s the latest Charlotte-area example of what’s known as “microtransit,” or on-demand transportation that doesn’t follow a fixed route.
“We want SouthPark to become a case study for the region and beyond on creating ways to move people around,” said Adam Rhew, CEO of SouthPark Community Partners, in announcing the new service at a meeting on Thursday morning.
He said the service could help workers get to their jobs from bus stops and to try new places for lunch without moving their cars. It would also allow hotel guests to explore new destinations within SouthPark.
SouthPark’s service will be called the “SouthPark Skipper.” It will be run with electric vehicles that can be called through an app, and it starts Nov. 15. It will be available daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The rides will be operated by Freebee, which operates in more than 40 East Coast markets. It is a one-year test project but could be extended.
The new “SouthPark Skipper” will offer pick-ups and drop-offs within the boundaries of the SouthPark business district (in blue above).
Rhew said drivers will be “highly knowledgeable and trained about SouthPark.”
‘Like a concierge service’: “Electric vehicles will come pick you up and take you there, and in a perfect world, it will be an incredible experience,” he said. “It will feel like concierge service.”
Electric vehicles can be called on demand with an app. (Courtesy of SouthPark Community Partners)
On-demand ride services have taken off with the rise of Uber and Lyft. This year, the city of Gastonia replaced its bus service with a fleet of on-demand vans, SUVs and sedans. There have been other experiments, too, including GEST Carts, an advertising-supported free shuttle service in South End and uptown; and free rides by a company called Jaunt on weekends this summer in Plaza Midwood.
The Charlotte Area Transit System is also working to start a similar service in northern Mecklenburg by early next year.
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