Rove Relaunches Free Rides in the Hamptons — Now with Teslas

Who wouldn’t want to be driven around the Hamptons this summer in a beautiful new Tesla taking you to local destinations absolutely free of charge? What sounds too good to be true appears to be launching thanks to the newly revamped Rove free ride service in Montauk, East Hampton and Sag Harbor.

The app-based business, which generates revenue by wrapping their cars in advertising, is headed by supermodel Christie Brinkley’s son Jack Brinkley Cook and well-known Hamptons restaurateur Gianpaolo de Felice, husband of Donna Karan‘s daughter Gabby Karan de Felice — of Tutto il Giorno fame — so Rove may just have the juice to succeed.

“The advertisers like Casa Del Sol get high visibility in the Hamptons,” the Rove announcement explains, pointing out that they are starting the summer with 15 vehicles and more than 25 drivers and managers to keep things moving through Labor Day. And, in addition to providing the free rides to Hamptons locals and visitors, the advertisers can reserve cars for their VIPs.

Along with Casa Del Sol Tequila, Altice (Optimum) and Tutto il Giorno round out Rove’s current trio of advertisers.

Cook and de Felice point to the horrible commute between NYC and the Hamptons as the initial inspiration for Rove. “There were no options between the budget ones like LIRR and the Jitney or expensive ones like Blade and a private car service or rental,” they explain.

So in 2019 they decided to launch the first iteration of Rove as an all-Mercedes Sprinter van luxury service to and from the city with premium drinks and snacks. Riders could buy individual seats or rent the entire 17-seat van for a large group. Each seat included a little gift bag with magazine and snacks like RX Bars and CBD gummies. There would be no multiple stops like the LIRR and Jitney. Direct from Williamsburg or Manhattan to Sag Harbor, East Hampton, Westhampton and Southampton.

Things went well in the summer of 2019 as the Rove vans drew attention and customers began renting them for weddings and other events, leading them to become more and more advertising supported.

But COVID changed everything.

A New Direction for Rove

Rove ceased operations in 2020 due to the pandemic and during the time off, their new business model was born. By 2021, the Hamptons became the full-time primary residence for a lot more people. Nobody was commuting back and forth from the city. So Cook and de Felice went with an all-electric fleet of shuttle vehicles offering individual free rides within the towns.

In 2023 they decided to go with their original idea of luxury advertiser supported transportation. They reached a deal with Tesla to provide all the vehicles. Advertisers quickly followed. Cook and de Felice aimed to start summer 2023 with five Teslas, but two weeks before the start of the summer, Casa del Sol ordered 10 additional vehicles which they could also use for their many VIPs.

These cars are also available for free local rides to anyone who has the Rove app installed.

“So far the reaction has been amazing,” the Rove team says, noting that they expect to add a few more Teslas to the fleet this summer. They are also planning to expand to Aspen in the winter.

To download the app, which is only available on iOS, find “RoveLoop” in the App Store. Learn more by following @poweredbyrove on Instagram.