Tampa’s Dash ride-share to hit downtown streets via Tesla SUVs this week

Downtown Tampa’s latest ride-share service — a fleet of bright yellow Tesla SUVs dubbed Dash — gets rolling with some fanfare this week.

Dash — which stands for Downtown Area Shared Hubs — will be available to pick up passengers at 20 spots starting with limited hours Thursday afternoon and a full-time daily schedule starting Friday, according to a news release.

Riders can access the Dash app via the app store on their smartphones to schedule trips, which will cost $2 a ride. The app will figure out the nearest hubs, which are spread throughout downtown’s seven neighborhoods — the Downtown Core, Downtown River Arts Neighborhood Association, Channel District, Water Street, Encore, West River and Tampa Heights.

The app pairs up to four passengers for a trip. Planners expect the service will be used for destinations such as lunches, meetings, sightseeing, errands and events.

The all-electric Teslas will be driven by “driver-ambassadors” trained as guides, according to the Tampa Downtown Partnership, the nonprofit that manages the downtown district through an agreement with the city. Passengers can also request a wheelchair-accessible van through the app.

Limited hours on Thursday when Dash debuts will be from noon to 11 p.m. Regular hours are expected to begin Friday, with service from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 9 p.m. on Sunday.

The service kicks off with a ribbon-cutting ceremony with Mayor Jane Castor at 1051 Water St. on Wednesday at 3 p.m.

A previous ride-share service called the Downtowner proved popular until it ran out of funding in 2021. Dash will be funded through the partnership’s budget and fares.