Just in time for Tigers Opening Day, a new way to get around downtown will be available on the streets of downtown Detroit. Gest Detroit is an electric golf cart that can hold up to seven passengers and travel up to 25 miles per hour. The service is free -- accessible from an app like Uber or Lyft -- due to sponsorship deals on the cart. Two carts will be running at launch.
Passengers will be required to wear masks, and precautions will be taken to preven the spread of COVID.
The service will be available from Chene Street on East Jefferson, over to Michigan Central Station in Corktown, up to Warren Avenue in Midtown.
It launches on April 1, Opening Day for the Tigers, with hours from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. After that, hours will be from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.
Damon and Kaia Dickens, native Detroiters with backgrounds in finance and entrepreneurship, are launching the service in Detroit. The service first launched in Cincinnati in 2018, and is also available in Chicago.
“Even with all of the growth in entertainment options in the city, the option to get around for free just didn’t exist,” Damon Dickens said. “We wanted to solve that problem while at the same time giving small and large business sponsors a way to have their brand more visible. Through Gest Carts, we are turning our dream into a reality.”
This launch comes at a time when businesses are starting to open up again, and more people will be downtown due to nice weather and vaccines. Buses have been running and MoGo bikes are available, but the People Mover and QLINE have been out of service since the pandemic started.
