Buccini/Pollin Group, Inc. announced as of September 19, WilminGO, a golf cart taxi service is operating through the BPG-Horn Fellows program. The service is accepting riders through their app, downloadable both through iTunes and Google Play.
Buccini/Pollin is the leading commercial and residential developer in downtown Wilmington.
WilminGO completed testing and will be available between May 1st and October 31st from Monday-Wednesday 11 a.m.- 3 p.m., Thursday-Friday 11 a.m.- 3 p.m., 5 p.m.- 1 a.m., Saturday 1 p.m.- 1 a.m. and Sunday 10 a.m.- 6 p.m.
The cart can hold up to five passengers, with flat-fee rates of $3 for one or two people, and $5 for more than three passengers.
The carts aim to fill a transportation gap in Wilmington, which has a sprawling downtown that reflects a population that once totaled more than 110,000. The current population is 72,000.
WSFS is the first season sponsor of the service. Sponsorship opportunities to advertise on the cart will open up with each operating season.
For the remainder of 2018, the cart will operate within a select radius of Downtown Wilmington from 2nd and Market to 12th Street.
A full coverage map can be seen on WilminGO’s website, at www.wilmingoride.com. In 2019, WilminGO looks to expand with additional carts and a larger service area, connecting downtown to the riverfront area.
The unique service came when Chris Buccini, co-founder of the Buccini/Pollin Group’s visit to Nashville, where golf cart taxis are prevalent.
Chris wanted to bring the service to Wilmington, DE and developed a BPG-Horn Summer Fellows Program as a partnership with the University of Delaware.
The partnership serves as a bridge between the bright, entrepreneurial energy of the University of Delaware students within Horn Entrepreneurship and The City of Wilmington.
Andrew Cercena and Matthew Lombardi were the very first students through the program, with support from the Buccini/Pollin Group, received experience launching the small business venture.
Chris envisions additional start-ups from this program and has a goal for the students to bring ideas to the table and BPG to financially back the new business ventures which will ultimately serve the individuals of the greater Wilmington area.
“Horn Entrepreneurship is always excited to partner with like-minded, innovative and entrepreneurial organizations like BPG to pursue new possibilities for the benefit of students, the University and members of the broader community” says Dan Freeman, Founding Director, Horn Entrepreneurship. “We have great respect and appreciation for Chris Buccini’s vision and leadership in quickly translating the idea for the BPG-Horn Fellows from idea into impact in the form of WilminGo.”
For more information on WilminGO and directions on downloading the applications to book a ride, visit www.wilmingoride.com.
