FORT?LAUDERDALE, FL – Sterling Tax, in a joint venture with Multimedia Platforms, LLC, officially announced this week that they would be bringing a Hopper back to Wilton Manors. They will be approaching local areas business to create branded vehicles over the next two to six weeks.
“The Hopper will be a safe and free transportation service that runs throughout Oakland Park and Wilton Manors and will support all our local businesses”, Bobby Blair, CEO of Multimedia Platforms, said on Tuesday. He continued, “the idea is for us, as a business, to create ways for our local community and international tourists to find a safe and economical way to enjoy the area and the great businesses we have to offer.”
The Hopper replaces the recently sold Green Hopper, which used to offer free transportation between the bars.
Bobby Blair also said that the Hopper will further promote “our online and print publications in a way to ensure that we continue to offer the very best circulation and reach in the market today. It brings us great pleasure to know tourists and locals will be reading our publications as they are transported around Wilton Manors and the Fort Lauderdale area.”
The rollout of the venture starts with two cars that will run in the evenings. By June 1st, they will add a day car, with the intention to add cars as demand grows to service the areas.
As it stands now, the Hopper will shuttle people between the bars on the drive and outer bars, such as Boardwalk and Monkey Business on Andrews Ave, Mona’s on Flagler, all the way to Cosmo’s on East Oakland Park Blvd.
In the future, the Hopper will also service all the Gay Guesthouses in the area.
Jeff Stirling, President of Stirling Tax, said Tuesday, “I am so excited to be working with Multimedia Platforms on the venture. When the Green Hopper closed, it left a void for a free shuttle service in the area. We are very excited to help local small businesses flourish.
Most businesses here in Fort Lauderdale are small and we need to attract locals and visitors to all we have to offer and help the area thrive.”
Kevin Hopper, Publisher of Mark Magazine and the Florida Agenda (and no relation to the machine!), said, “As the Drive continues to grow, so does a need for convenient transportation. I’m excited the Hopper is filling that void.”
Mark Haines, founder of Mark’s List, said Tuesday, “This is an innovative way to reach locals and travellers while they are out in Wilton Manors. Mark’s List is working on an initiative that will allow Droid and iPhone users to access the site for instant updates and specials using QR Codes that will be made available to Hopper riders. This new feature of the site will make use of the information on Mark’s List in a dynamic way and build business along Wilton Drive.”