A Chrysler GEM all-electric vehicle is now shuttling passengers between the Rice Lofts Downtown and the Coffee Groundz coffeehouse and El Patio restaurant on Brazos St. in Midtown. If you’re trying to get from one to the other, you can catch a free ride.
Well, almost free. REV Houston drivers happily accept gratuities — in the form of cash, credit cards, or prepaid “key tags.” To order service, you can call the REV Houston hotline (1.877.Go.REV.Go) or send a text message indicating your location. Details are on the REV Houston website.
How long is this gonna last? As long as the startup can sell ads on the vehicles. And REV Houston hopes to expand. Reports Startup Houston:
[Cofounder Erik] Ibarra also mentioned that the company plans to test additional markets within Houston for expansion, such as Rice Village, Washington Avenue and Westheimer in the future.
- free | green | transportation [REV Houston]
- Going Green in Houston with REV Houston [Startup Houston]
Photo: REV Houston
We bought an ad! One of the first I think. People love these little cars.
Mitch Cohen
Media & Community Liaison
Karen Derr & Associates
713-862-1600
http://www.KarenDerr.com
Swamplot needs to edit their description of this service. The text seems to indicate one can only travel from on REV stop to another REV stop. From the REV website however, it seems they will pick you up at the stop and drop you anywhere in the Downtown / Midtown area.
The idea sounds good, but these little cars won’t be going far. They only have a 30 miles range before they have to be recharged. Fifteen two miles trips and the battery is dead.
Good catch, Pat — though REV’s description isn’t entirely clear. I’ve updated the post.
Is co-founder Erik Ibarra the same Erik Ibarra who’s been after the sheriff’s department, I wonder? Maybe that’s what the cool kids are doing with $1.7 million settlements these days: starting electric car shuttle services.
@Jim: Doesn’t look like it.
But . . . uh, they sure do look alike.
I dunno … the resemblance is uncanny. Then again, TV’s William Frawley and architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe also looked a lot alike, and I’m at least 65 percent sure they weren’t the same person.
@Jim: Wow. I had never put the two of them together. Maybe if more people became aware of the resemblance we wouldn’t be left with so many Frawley-designed ranch houses just sitting on the market.