GEST Carts founder returns to his hometown to launch Queen City franchise

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Dec. 7, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — This winter, Charlotte residents and visitors will be able to travel for free in between Center City; First, Second, Third, and Fourth Wards; and South End in electric GEST carts. GEST Carts – which stands for Green Easy Safe Transportation, is debuting its Charlotte service starting Friday, December 17.

GEST Cart
GEST Cart

GEST Carts operate similar to car transportation services like Uber or Lyft. Charlotte riders can “call” a cart through the mobile app – downloadable through the Apple Store and Google Play Store – that tracks driver locations and estimated arrival times. The vehicles are able to drive on main roads, keeping with the flow of traffic – but in a much more sustainable and enjoyable way than traditional transportation.  

The company currently has locations in Chicago, Cincinatti, Detroit, Denver and Las Vegas, but the Charlotte launch is particularly meaningful for GEST Carts co-founder Patrick Dye and Charlotte franchise owner Corey Johnson who are both natives of Charlotte. 

“Bringing GEST Carts to Charlotte is a dream come true because Charlotte will always be home to me,” Dye explained. “Our carts provide an easy, free, and environmentally-friendly way to get around. Our presence in Charlotte made great buisness sense because there’s so much to do in Uptown and the surrounding areas.” 

Dye  graduated from the University of North Carolina-Charlotte and Johnson attended North Carolina State Universityand University Of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After spending 20 years at Procter & Gamble in a variety of manufacturing, engineering, business planning, and scaled operations roles, Johnson decided to invest in Charlotte by opening the only GEST Carts franchise in the state. 

“I always look for opportunities to invest in solid companies focused on doing good, and there’s an unlimited ceiling with GEST,” Johnson says. “The carts are always free and will provide a fun transportation option for people looking to explore my hometown, yet they have minimal impact on the environment — so that’s a win-win.”

The Charlotte franchise will bring about 30 – 40 jobs that will include drivers, mechanics and additional support staff. GerikTodd is GEST Charlotte’s General Manager.

For more information – including sponsorship opportunities – visit https://www.gestcarts.com/ and stay connected on Instagram @gestcharlotte and on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Gestcharlotte.

About Gest
Green Easy Safe Transportation is an environmentally-friendly transportation service first launched in Cincinnati in 2018. To learn more about franchise or sponsorship opportunities, visit https://www.gestcarts.com/

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