Gift a Ride with RideSpider, Why It Matters, and How You Can Help
I am Dennis Kerley, Founder and CEO of RideSpider (For-Profit Benefit Corporation). We started RideSpider to provide safe, customer oriented transportation services while paying drivers fairly. My friend and co founder, Garnent Shaw came to me and asked "is there a better way?" and that question started us on a journey to understanding the problems and creating a better way of doing rideshare. We brought our wives (Theresa Kerley and Phyllis Shaw) into the idea and business, they have definitely helped us see our company and how we provide services from a much broader prospective. Seeking to provide a superior customer service experience, we brought in our friend Paul Sadler-Bower with extensive experience in both tech and customer service.
We have all been working to make RideSpider the very best it can be for everyone, the drivers, riders and future employees! This motivation took us down a very different path than the other rideshare companies. The two big providers have broken ground in many amazing ways, but have also broken people and lives along their path! We have seen this and are determined not to take this same path littered with broken lives, hence our slogan "Happy Drivers, Happy Riders".
We know that we can provide a safe secure experience for everyone involved, but this means taking the time to look at what has gone wrong, seeking ways to avoid these issues though it may take longer to find and bring the right drivers into partnership with our service, adding true genuine safety procedures such as vetting drivers with true federal back ground checks and drug testing, no matter how long it may take. Providing live customer support by phone, text or email with a person right here in the United States at our office.
There is so many more steps we are taking, but I do not have the time or space to tell you here.
About This Project
We need your help to finance the creation of our Gift a Ride fund and program to specifically provide transportation to and from work, doctors, pharmacy and grocery store for working poor, elderly or disabled who can not afford their own vehicles or transportation..
Watch our video and read the story below to learn more about this problem.
Brief Background on lack of transportation
What is a lack of transportation?
National Conference of State Legislators published an article stating "In 2012, people with disabilities who were not working reported lack of
transportation as one of their biggest barriers to employment. Further, a
survey of job searchers with disabilities in New Jersey found that a
quarter of them had left a job, and almost half had refused a job offer,
because of travel difficulties. People with disabilities who rely on
public transit may find it especially challenging to navigate the
distance from their homes and workplaces to transit stations and stops.
Where public transit isn’t available, other accessible transportation
options often are in short supply."
Business Insider published an article titled "There's a major hurdle to employment that many Americans don't even think about — and it's holding the economy back" in Jan of 2018 with these bullet points below
- Transportation presents a difficult and under reported
challenge to low-income workers trying to find jobs and manage daily
life in the US without a car. - Regional Federal
Reserve Banks such as the Philadelphia and Kansas City Feds are working
to promote solutions for economic problems by bringing together the
private sector, government, and community organizations.
and another quote from this same Business Insider article "The problem of getting to work is prevalent in the lower rungs of
America's highly unequal income scale, according to Federal Reserve
officials and community leaders from different parts of the country.
America's
highly segregated and car-dependent cities and counties make it
difficult for many workers to reach the facilities where the jobs are.
And the jobs are increasingly is the suburbs.
Research and survey from regional Fed banks found the problem to be pervasive around the US."
This transportation issue perpetuates a cycle of poverty from one generation to the next! Articles pointing our and discussing this issue are abundant, but many of you just like me were probably unaware of this problem.
How I became aware of this problem and the need!
On the first day of this school year, my wife called me from work (she is a school cook), trying to help with finding a way for a new coworker to get back and forth to work. She is a single mom, first day on a new job, lived to far away to walk and had no money! She could not afford to pay for taxi or rideshare trips to and from work, five days a week. Her income does not meet her and her child's regular household expenses!
I discovered transportation, that we take for granted, is a very serious unaddressed need for many! Low income individuals, disabled and the elderly who are unable to afford to own a vehicle or pay for transportation services to and from work, doctors appointment, pharmacy, grocery store, etc... need a community solution.
I called several people and organizations to try and help find her a free or very low cost transportation option, but was told that sadly there was no program or option to help her or people in similar situations!
What Is RideSpider Going to Do?
Despite the many articles written, studies undertaken and government meetings about the lack of transportation, there is
simply nothing being provided or programs being established to help deal with this need. As a result, too
many are stuck without transportation continuing the problem of under employment, unemployment and unable to get to medically necessary services.
By contributing towards our campaign, you are contributing to the development of the Gift a Ride program and fund to provide much needed transportation services. This is the first of many steps we at RideSpider will be taking to establish and perpetually fund this program.to provide necessary rides for people in need!
These funds will be used exclusively to pay for necessary transportation for individuals in the Greater Chattanooga area who apply to and are accepted into our program. We will use these funds to cover each program trip at cost.
We will be seeking contributions from our regular rideshare customers, community employers, local government and grants that we may perpetually fund this program. The Gift a Ride program is only in it infancy, but are our company grow and expands across the United States we hope to also expand the Gift a Ride program to many additional communities.
FAQs
Q.) Are there individuals in need of this service?
Yes. There are people we hear from weekly that need a transportation solution who are elderly, disabled or working poor.
Q.) What is my donation paying for?
Your donation is paying for each trip at cost to cover the mile and minute fare we must pay our contract drivers and insurance. Other support services such as application processing and clerical services will be funded on an as needed basis.
Q.) How much will it cost to take a trip to work, doctor or pharmacy?
Pricing is fairly simple, we must pay the contract driver 0.91 per mile and 0.15 per minute plus 0.28 per mile for insurance. A seven mile trip, that takes fifteen minutes in heavy traffic will cost $10.58 and this will be deducted from the fund. The return trip will be the same price, so as an example a seven mile round trip to and from work will be covered for $21.16
Each trip will vary based on the time and distance traveled, the rides are only billed from the pick up location to the destination.
Q.) Is RideSpider a non-profit?
No, Actually RideSpider is a
for-profit benefit corporation. A for-profit business is able to more easily
scale its community service parallel to our regular rideshare services. We hope not to have to rely on constant fundraising.
We are a in the process of seeking pending B-Corp certification, a designation given
to companies that contribute a portion of their revenue to non-profit
causes.
Q.) How do riders apply? Are the riders vetted?
Riders will apply by filling out an application on our website. We will review
the applications and reach out to riders that we think would have a financial need and will benefit from the services. We hope Gift a Ride can be a stepping stone to financial independence and being able to afford other transportation options..
Q.) When will you be launching Gift a Ride services?
Our goal is to start to providing transportation from Gift a Ride funds for qualified individual just after our campaign completes successfully funding.
Meet the Management Team
1.) Dennis Kerley
Role: Chief Executive Officer | Co-Founder
Dennis Kerley is RideSpider's fearless leader, CEO and CTO the one to makes the
hard calls! Garnent was talking to Dennis when he asked about a
"better way". You see Dennis front and center most of the time as he does our presentations, public and investor relations.
2.) Garnent Shaw
Role: VP of Driver Operations | Co-Founder
Garnent Shaw is the one who stated "There has to be a better way!" He was our first driver, has been giving rides regularly since day 1! You have now met RideSpider Driver # 00001. Garnent is also our VP of Driver Relations, the man on the street talking to drivers and riders alike.
3.) Paul Sadler-Bower
Role: VP of Customer Relations | Co-Founder
Paul Sadler-Bower
is our VP of Customer Relations, the man behind the
scenes. Paul built most of our back-end systems. He also
created most of the graphics you see on our social media and Facebook.
4.) Theresa Kerley
Role: CHO, Chef Heart
Officer | Co-Founder
Theresa is our chief heart officer is in touch with the heartbeat of
every single person at RideSpider. Theresa helps us plan and evaluate our employment policies and how they effect our team individually and as a whole.
5.) Phyllis Shaw
Role: Treasurer | Co-Founder
Phyllis is our Treasurer and faithfully voice in helping us design and make RideSpider the greatest company it can be for everyone involved!.
Social Media
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ridespider
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ridespider/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ridespider/
Press Contact and Website Info
Dennis Kerley
Cell: 423-805-8381
Email: [email protected] Website: www.RideSpider.com
