home of the free because of the brave black and white

GEST Chicago began operations in November 2020. Green Easy Safe Transportation (GEST) Carts, an advertising-supported service offering free rides in multi-passenger electric vehicles, debuted in Cincinnati in 2018 and now operates in Cincinnati, Charlotte, Denver, Detroit, Las Vegas, Scottsdale and Louisville, along with a local operation in Chicago. In the meantime, Jitney EV collaborates with services like GEST Chicago, viewing these operations not as competition but as another link to fill the transportation gaps that are so prevalent in environmental justice communities, Davis said. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has hampered plans for expansion beyond the initial pilot, but Jitney EV still plans to launch a full-scale operation in the future, according to Davis. Spreading the word about EVsĪs part of the Community of the Future program conducted by Chicago utility company ComEd, Jitney EV and Bronzeville Community Development Partnership launched the Dash EV pilot program in late 2017, featuring a single Innova EV Dash vehicle that could travel up to 35 mph, with a 150-mile range between charges. And it tends to punish those routes that have low ridership, even if they are in disadvantaged communities,” Davis said. So that tends to drive routes based on ridership. “We have, in Illinois, a transit system that is required by statute to generate 50% of its operating revenue from the fare box. Their efforts are specifically targeting the “ last mile” gap between public transit stops and destinations such as grocery stores, banks and entertainment, along with providing an option for reliable transportation to and from work for residents within its service area, Davis said.

So it’s important that our community does not get left behind,” said William “Billy” Davis, general manager for Jitney EV. “Post COVID and as a result of climate change, we have a once-in-a-lifetime investment in public infrastructure to address climate change and to address the transition away from fossil fuel production, toward clean energy, both in building and transportation.

Home of the free because of the brave black and white