Golden Teslas to cruise Tampa’s downtown in new ride-share program

People in Tampa will soon be able to hail rides from Tesla drivers who will help link them to other parts of the city. 

The new service will be offered through the DASH (Downtown Area Shared Hubs) program, according to a Monday announcement by the Downtown Tampa Partnership. DASH will help address the needed connectivity with a less expensive ride-share option for riders looking to take trips within Tampa’s seven neighborhoods. 

The service, provided by drivers of bright yellow all-electric Tesla Model Y vehicles, will go live in October. Drivers will pick up and drop off passengers at 20 different hubs across downtown. 

Via a mobile app, riders can request a ride. The app will pair up to four passengers to share the hub-to-hub trip.

A DASH ride will cost just a few dollars per trip. Details on the hub locations, pricing and operating hours will be announced in the coming weeks. 

“Whether you live, work, play or learn here, DASH will help everyone who comes to Tampa’s downtown by giving them a new mobility option. A ride in a DASH Tesla will be low-cost, protected from the weather, and ideal for medium-length trips within downtown,” Tampa Downtown Partnership Interim President Shaun Drinkard said in the prepared statement. 

The recruitment process for drivers will commence Aug. 1 when the application process opens. The drivers, who will have to go through a background check, will begin training in the next few weeks. 

Passengers who need a wheelchair-accessible vehicle can request an ADA-compliant van using the app.

“DASH is designed to add to the growing number of mobility options in Downtown Tampa – not replace any of them,” said Karen Kress, senior director of transportation and planning for the Tampa Downtown Partnership. “From scooters and e-bikes to the TECO Line Streetcar and Pirate Water Taxi to HART [Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority] bus service and bicycle lanes, we know that a growing urban center needs a wide range of ways to get around. That’s how we avoid congestion, reduce pollution and help people enjoy everything their city has to offer.”

The news comes at a time when HART is experiencing turmoil in leadership, and the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority may be eliminating multiple bus routes. 

In a statement from the DTP, the members said, “The potential St. Pete tie we can see would be that DASH is a complementary service to the [Cross Bay] Ferry. People would have a way to get around downtown Tampa after getting off the ferry without a vehicle.” 

However, a St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce executive said, as of today, St. Pete is not planning to adopt the DASH service.