Remember the days of the Dillo? We have fond memories of 2008 and before, when the Dillo service was still trolleying about downtown Austin, helping those in need of a short ride across our little downtown. And then the Dillo died in October of 2009, and we all quietly mourned the loss.
And then….free, short distance shuttle rides were reborn…in the form of the The Ridescout Route.
The Ridescout Route is simply this:
The RideScout Route is a free, convenient, hop-on / hop-off shuttle that serves the heart of downtown Austin. Conversations with the local community and the City of Austin, supported by MobilityATX data, revealed a need for more reliable east to west transportation options.
Our fixed-route pilot program, in partnership with Electric Cab, solves that need with a series of open-air electric cabs.
The route is currently pretty small (a bit smaller than the Dillo routes of yore), but it’s only a pilot program, and we hope to see expansion if the pilot proves successful.
The shuttles run every 5-10 minutes on weekdays from 7am-1pm.
Learn more about the Ridescout Route and the Ridescout App here.
[Hat tip to Jace Deloney for sharing!]
A “spiritual sequel” | The Once (& Possibly Future) ‘Dillo: http://t.co/J3dc8QofB4 via @KUT‘s @TerrenceHenry pic.twitter.com/h8eqaiZ4h9
— Jace Deloney (@JaceDeloney) June 24, 2015
While a I applaud Ridescout’s new downtown circulator effort, it’s current execution makes no sense to me.
The vehicles are cruising around empty because no one knows what they are or where they go. They’ve got one lame little sign on the back roof that says “Complimentary Shuttle” inside of a caution triangle. And it makes specific “stops” – why???
The vehicles should get some distinctive wraps that brand them as a “FREE hop’n’go” or “FREE stop’n’ride” offering. That means folks should be able to simply hail them ANYWHERE along the route, and be dropped ANYWHERE along the route! Why not? It only takes a second to get on and off, especially if there is no complex financial transaction or luggage to manage as with a cab or Uber ride.
And it should have a large, simplified map attached to the back (whcih is largely solid anyway) – basically just a rectangle – that shows 2nd St / 6th St and Trinity / Guadalupe as the outer borders, with Congress bisecting the vertical center. Done.
Then Ridescout needs to hand out some guerrilla marketing postcards to all the businesses along/near the route to let them know this thing exists and to promote it to their patrons.
My two cents…