From January - March 2017, Cart conducted a 10 week pilot providing $10 roundtrip Lyft rides to anyone within a 5 mile radius of the two Detroit Meijer locations.
After analyzing pilot data, talking to a variety of stakeholders about our findings, and ongoing customer discovery, we came to the conclusion that Cart's model is not economically viable.
And although Cart shut down operations in July 2017, the founders still viewed this as an incredible learning opportunity and NOT a failure. Through planning, implementing, and evaluating our 10-week pilot, we were able to impact close to 300 lives through our service, support 2.5 FTE, impact over 50 students' personal and professional development, and engage the community in creating a technology-enabled solution which allowed users to pay for discounted Lyft rides at the grocery store.
If interested in learning more about our findings, please email Stacey at[email protected].
If you're curious about how the pilot worked, please scroll down read through our website.
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Here's where we're operating
Have questions? We have answers.
A Cart Ride is a round trip ride from your home to a Detroit Meijer location, and back to your home. Rides are only available to people who live within the service area (see zip code map here), and they can only be redeemed from January 15th - March 22nd, 2017.
You pay for your entire round trip ride at the store. You do not need to pay the driver.
At checkout, you scan the barcode sent to you via text message. You will see a $10 Cart service fee appear on your bill.. Pay for this ride at the register at the same time you pay for all of your groceries. After you pay, a coupon will be printed with a 6 digit Cart Code. Simply enter this code back into the website, and you will then be able to book a return ride home.
Cart is available to anyone living within a five mile radius of the Meijer at Woodward and 8 Mile or the Meijer at McNichols and Grand River. Cart users must use a smartphone (e.g. an Android phone or an iPhone) that has connection to the internet and has texting included in their phone plan. To request a ride, you must be 18 or older.
Cart was created to help people who need a better option for accessing healthy, affordable groceries! Cart is locally owned and operated, and has created partnerships with Michigan and Detroit businesses, community groups, and more.
Cart is using the ridesharing service Lyft to give rides to the store and back. Lyft employs everyone from students to nurses to artists using the Lyft platform as a way to earn extra income and connect with their community. Lyft only hires qualified drivers who pass a rigorous driving and criminal background check.
Safety is Cart and Lyft’s number one priority. Lyft completes extensive criminal and driving record checks on all drivers. In addition, drivers are required to pass vehicle inspections showing that they have reliable vehicles that are model year 2004 or newer and are in a safe, very reliable condition.
Of course! However, car seats for children are not provided. But you can bring up to 3 other passengers.
A Meijer team member needs to verify that you purchased a Cart Ride by looking at your receipt. If you purchased a Cart Ride within the past 4 hours, you can take a picture of your receipt, send it to 313-757-5599 as a picture text, and then you will receive a text back with a new 6-digit code that you can enter.
There are two ways to earn free rides: Refer two friends. After these friends each use Cart, we will send you a text to let you know that your next roundtrip Cart Ride is free. Ride with Cart 2 times. After your second roundtrip Cart Ride, we will send you a text to let you know that your next roundtrip Cart Ride is free.
Not at this time. You should scan the Cart barcode with your grocery purchase. You can use your EBT card to pay for your groceries, but need to pay for your Cart ride with cash or credit/debit card.
When you order a ride, Cart will send you a text with more information, but expect to wait between 5-25 minutes for your driver to arrive.
No, pay for the ride at the store when you check out.
No. You need to book your return ride home after purchasing your ride at the store.
No, Cart’s purpose is to get you from your house to the grocery store and back home.
Most vehicles allow you to bring up to 4 passengers, but if you share a ride, we ask you to let us know at the end of the ride - so we can better understand how people use Cart to better serve you in the future.
All children must be legally seated in the vehicle. Car seats can be brought with you, but are not provided.
That is okay! Head back to any checkout and scan the Cart bar code that you received via text message. A coupon with our orange car logo should print out that will have your six-digit Cart Code on it. Enter that code back into the cart website to order your ride back home.
If this happens, we ask for you to send us a picture of your receipt. There is an option through our website to do this after you order your return ride home. And then next time for you convenience, be sure to scan the Cart bar code with the rest of your items in your basket.
Call or text 313-757-5599 to receive a ride home.
Call or text 313-757-5599.
Contact the Cart Team for more info and support!