There is growing tension between a new way to get around downtown Nashville and the industry that is losing business to them.
Golf carts offer transportation all over Lower Broadway, but taxi companies are questioning their safety and the city is still waiting on necessary payments for permits.
Pink Taxi Nashville owner Jim Burrows said he is unhappy about services like Joyride.
“The golf carts are all piled full of people, and I just can’t imagine what’s going to happen when one of those people tumbles out into the streets and gets run over,” Burrows said. “I think it’s going to happen sooner or later.”
But Joyride CEO Grant Rosenblatt said the service is not only safe, it’s exploding in popularity. They expect to double their fleet size to 83 carts in the next two months.
Joyride is free. Drivers make money from tips.
“People just seeing us on the street, and really our drivers just talking to literally everyone they see, has made our industry just explode,” Rosenblatt said.
But Burrows told Channel 4 his employees have lost thousands of dollars to Joyride. He said the golf cart drivers often approach customers as they’re getting into a cab to offer them a free ride.
“Here’s your golf cart right here. Joyride just running around out here with no licenses, just out on the street,” Burrows said.
Joyride has been in operation since 2013, but it has only been since last month that the city has started to license low-speed vehicles.
Joyride currently doesn’t have (continue reading at WSMV)