New golf cart transportation offers free rides through downtown, OTR

CINCINNATI (WKRC) – There’s a new way to travel around downtown Cincinnati and Over-the-Rhine.

A company called GEST launched over the weekend offering a free shuttle service from the Banks to OTR and JACK Casino to Music Hall.

The golf cart transportation company will run Friday and Saturday evenings from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Hours will expand to accommodate downtown events and around Opening Day in March.

“We did over 300 rides Saturday night alone, the hardest concept for people to understand is that it’s free,” said GEST Co-Founder Patrick Dye.

Dye and his wife Lauren brought the concept after seeing it in Nashville. Thanks to corporate sponsorship advertisements, the service is free.

GEST, which stands for Green Easy Safe Transportation. The dye’s say they are looking for drivers and plan to expand to other cities as well.

Dye also says it offers a versatile alternative to the Cincinnati Bell Connector.

“The Streetcar, which we think is great for the city, only goes North, South, and there’s stops,” Dye said. “We have no set stops and you can go anywhere you want downtown.”

The company has six carts right now and the plan is to have 15 by Reds Opening Day.

The big push for opening day, we are just going to keep working on things,” said Dye. “The next couple of months find out what people like, don’t like and make changes where we have to.”

Dye says they also hope to launch an app soon where people can track the golf carts and order up service.