COMPANY OVERVIEW
PlanetTran:
The Nation’s Premiere All Hybrid Car Service
Helping Businesses Save Money and the Environment
PlanetTran’s mission to provide transportation services that are better for the environment began, like many well-intentioned resolutions, on New Year’s Day 2003. As Seth Riney, a tech-savvy entrepreneur, read about environmental entrepreneurship, he wondered why livery services were adding more gas guzzling minivans and SUVs to their fleets while the rest of the world was going green. With that question, the idea to create an urban transportation infrastructure that utilizes the most efficient technology available was born.
Riney began building a fleet comprised of the most technologically advanced car on the road, the Toyota Prius. What started with just one Prius quickly grew into a loyal following and earned national press, establishing PlanetTran as the nation’s first car service to exclusively use ultra fuel-efficient hybrid vehicles. Serving individuals and organizations in greater Boston and the Bay area, PlanetTran is now recognized as one of the most influential vehicles in reducing the carbon footprint of Corporate America. PlanetTran’s dedication to four key principals – the environment, reliability, value, and technology – has won them both accolades (they were voted Cambridge Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year in 2006) and a customer list that boasts a 98% return rate.
Since gasoline consumption in the United States leads to substantial CO2 emissions, many companies are looking for ways to go green
immediately. By replacing high-cost traditional taxi and limousine services with PlanetTran’s fuel-efficient fleet, convenient technology, superior customer service, and lower price point, the solution is easy.
The PlanetTran for Business service offers companies a cost-effective way to reduce the environmental impact of business travel without compromising the level of service and reliability necessary to meet corporate travel demands. By providing a comfortable, reliable alternative to traditional transportation services, PlanetTran helps large and small businesses minimize their expenses and emissions while maximizing their productivity and efficiency.
PlanetTran also offers companies the following benefits:
• Online QuickQuote flat rates for service including tolls and airport fees • Secure credit card billing each month for the previous month’s activity • Itemized, coded electronic invoices for easy internal billing
• Alternative payment options such as pay per trip Each chauffeur driven car also offers:
• Free Wi-Fi to maximize productivity • A guaranteed clean, comfortable ride
• Discounted corporate rates and transparent pricing - no hidden service or fuel charges • Comprehensive account management through a dedicated web portal
• Detailed reporting on travel expenditures
• Integration with leading business travel management platforms (GT3, Cliqbook, etc) • Industry leading electronic bill payment
• An impact calculator that includes a summary of the client’s greenhouse gas reduction from using PlanetTran over a traditional car service. Contact us to reduce your spending on car services and your carbon footprint. For more information on establishing a corporate account please call 1-888-756-8876 ext. 705 or email [email protected].
PRESS RELEASE
PlanetTran Launches New Look on Earth Day 2009
PlanetTran, the pioneering “eco-livery” service, announced on Earth Day the redesign of their company look. With an updated visual identity and added services, PlanetTran is set to lead the way in environmentally friendly transportation.
Agile. Elegant. Efficient. Like the dragonfly in its natural surroundings, PlanetTran is designed to thrive in today’s transportation landscape. “Our dragonfly icon embodies more than our status as the greenest service around - it communicates our dedication to delivering sophisticated, nimble and attentive customer experiences,” says Founder Seth Riney.
PlanetTran was established in 2003. Riney’s vision was to create a smarter urban transportation solution that could influence senior executives, professionals and opinion leaders who frequently use car services. Noticing that most hired vehicles were gas-guzzlers, the Yale grad applied his aerospace engineering background to create the nation’s first public auto service to exclusively utilize ultra fuel efficient hybrid vehicles. PlanetTran has continued to grow its Boston and San Francisco presence with recent March financing from Cue Ball Capital, the Boston-based venture and early growth equity investment firm. This aided in PlanetTran’s mission to help local businesses become eco-friendly, making the campaign for Boston to be green by 2010 more realistic. “As companies and individuals look to cut spending and reduce their carbon footprint, PlanetTran provides one of the most attractive options for responsible transportation,” said Tony Tjan, CEO of Cue Ball.
To create ease of use for companies, PlanetTran now offers discounted corporate rates, online QuickQuote rates for service and itemized electronic invoices for easy internal billing. Each chauffer driven car is equipped with Wi-Fi, and offers passengers an impact calculator with a summary of company’s greenhouse gas reduction from using PlanetTran over traditional car service. Payments can easily be integrated with leading business travel management platforms.
About PlanetTran:
PlanetTran (www.planettran.com) is bringing environmental responsibility to ground transportation by changing the way people and companies get around town. They offer a green, reliable, technology-forward hired car service at an unparalleled value. Their hybrid cars consume up to 8x less gas than traditional car services and feature wireless access, electronic booking and receipts to ensure that doing business with us is easy and convenient. Clients can make reservations online or call 1888-PLNT-TRN.
About Cue Ball Capital:
Cue Ball Capital (www.cueball.com) is a private investment partnership with a hybrid venture and growth equity focus on consumer and media businesses. The capabilities of the core investment team are amplified through collaboration with The Cue Ball Collective – a brain trust of experi-enced executives, industry thought leaders, and entrepreneurs. Cue Ball Capital typically backs companies with $2 to $20M in annual revenue and positive earnings and considers investments outside of this scope on an opportunistic basis.
BIOS
Meet the Environmental Entrepreneurs
Seth Riney, Founder
Seth Riney, the founder of PlanetTran, started the business in 2003 with just a single Prius and a grand vision. He built PlanetTran organically with no outside funding, rapidly growing within the greater Boston area and expanding into the Bay Area. PlanetTran’s success is due in part to the industry-leading integrated application that Seth architected, drawing from his years of systems experience, to deliver his transportation service online.
Seth developed and honed his software architecture skills as an employee of Idiom, Inc., a web globalization company, where he served as interim CTO. Other systems engineering experience included leading the hardware and software integration of the CAS (Collision Avoidance System) test bed, an Intelligent Vehicle Initiative of the DOT at TRW’s Space and Technology Division. Prior to PlanetTran, he consulted on web infrastructures, financial services, and biotechnology applications for various clients.
Seth graduated with a B.S. in Astronomy and Physics from Yale University in 1996.
Anthony (Tony) Tjan, Chairman
Anthony (Tony) Tjan is Founder and Managing Partner of Cue Ball, a venture and early growth equity firm investing in the information media and consumer sectors. As an entrepreneur, investor, and senior advisor, Tony has become a recognized idea generator and business builder. Most recently, he was Senior Partner with The Parthenon Group, a leading strategy consulting firm where he continues to serve as Vice Chairman. He was also a long-standing special advisor to Richard Harrington, the former CEO of Thomson Reuters Corporation (NYSE: TRI), the world’s largest information services company, who recently joined Cue Ball as Chairman and General Partner.
Tony is perhaps best known for founding one of the pioneering Internet firms, ZEFER (now an NEC subsidiary), a company that led the architecture and launch of several of the earliest large scale commercial websites and online applications. Tony started his career with McKinsey and Company where he focused on consumer and media clients and is one of the World Economic Forum’s Global Leaders for Tomorrow. He sits on the boards of CX Media (TSE: CX), Knovel, Epic Burger, MiniLuxe, and From the Top.
Tony holds an A.B. degree from Harvard College, an M.B.A from Harvard Business School and was a Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: About PlanetTran
Why PlanetTran?
PlanetTran is bringing environmental responsibility to ground transportation by changing the way people and companies get around town through a green, reliable, technology-forward hired car service at an unparalleled value. Our cars consume up to 8x less gas than traditional taxis and limos, offering the safety and reliability of a car service at an affordable price-point. Wireless is complimentary on every trip, and electronic booking and receipts make doing business with us easy. Go green for less green with PlanetTran and help make a world of difference.
What’s the advantage of using PlanetTran over a traditional limousine service?
PlanetTran’s fleet is comprised of fuel-efficient hybrid vehicles, which allows your company to reduce your carbon footprint while reducing expenditures on car services. Our cost structure is less impacted by the variance in fuel prices, which means no fuel surcharges for you. Further, PlanetTran offers automated procurement and billing processes, which saves time spent booking transportation and reconciling invoices. PlanetTran creates custom reports illustrating your company’s reduction in carbon emissions and efforts to act as an environmentally responsible entity. This data can be included in your annual report or general public outreach. Traveling with PlanetTran will contribute to a healthier environment, a healthier corporate image, and a healthier bottom line.
How can I arrange a corporate travel pickup?
It’s easy. You can make reservations by creating a profile in our online reservations system and entering your specific location. Or you can call 1-888 PLNT-TRN (1-888-756-8876). The email notification confirms pick up at your scheduled time and location.
How do I pay for the service?
There are many options, including pay per ride, or you can establish a corporate account. Payment can be made using VISA, MC, or AMEX, which can be entered in your online profile (PlanetTran does not accept cash and tips are not included nor expected in the flat fare). After your trip, the credit card will be charged the appropriate flat fare, and, in our effort to achieve paperless operations, you will be emailed a receipt.
What is your cancellation policy?
Cancellation of reservations within one hour of scheduled pick-up will result in a charge of the full fare (minimum 1.5 hours for authorized wait trips). A no show fee for the full fare will be charged when the passenger fails to arrive at the designated location, without contact, within 1 hour of the reservation time. To avoid a no show fee, please call 1-888-PLNT-TRN (1-888-756-8876) if you cannot locate the PlanetTran vehicle.
What is your waiting policy?
PlanetTran bills wait time at $60 an hour, in increments of 10 minutes. For each reservation, there is a 10-minute grace period with
no wait time charges. PlanetTran tracks all commercial flights and wait time is not charged for any passenger arriving on a commercial airline. For arriving flights, PlanetTran waits as long as it takes, as long as we hear from you. If we can’t make contact and we don’t hear from you, we will leave an hour after the flight arrives. If baggage claim is taking a while and you haven’t heard from us, please call us at 1-888 PLNT-TRN (1-888-756-8876).
How many passengers/bags can the cars carry?
For shorter trips, the Prius can comfortably seat 4 people in addition to the driver. For travelers bringing bags for a week, three passengers fit fine. There is room for skis, golf clubs, etc. by folding down one half of the back seat, but this reduces the passenger capacity to two. PlanetTran is in the process of diversifying its fleet to include a wider range of hybrid vehicles.
What is a hybrid car?
A hybrid car is so-named because it has dual power sources for providing mechanical energy to the car’s drive train. It utilizes both a familiar gasoline fueled internal combustion engine and an electric motor with a battery for electricity storage.
PRESS, CASE STUDIES AND STATISTICS
Case Study, Testimonials and Statistics
Client:Genzyme, a global Biotech company, has a strong commitment to reducing environmental impact and conserving natural resources.
Objective:
With a platinum certification from LEED, Genzyme was seeking an eco-conscious solution to the large travel needs generated by frequent travel for sales calls and by employees moving across various corporate campuses throughout each day.
Result:
By using PlanetTran, Genzyme has saved over 14,000 gallons of gasoline and lowered carbon emissions by 266,000 pounds a year.
Testimonials
“PlanetTran is the only livery service I use. They run clean cars and I love the online reservations. In addition, they are environmentally friendly.”
Quinn Horn, Exponent Failure Analysis Associates
“I frequently travel to Cambridge on business and always use PlanetTran because of their excellent service, reliable drivers, and fuel-saving cars.”
Guy Inman, Gilead Sciences, Inc.
“I use PlanetTran at work and at home. There’s nothing close to the service and support that PlanetTran provides. The best livery in the US.”
Harvey Berger, ARIAD
“At Genzyme, we are focused on minimizing the environmental impact of all of our activities. We are pleased to work with companies like PlanetTran that share this vision and can play a part in helping us to achieve our environmental goals.”
Rick Mattila, Director of Environmental Affairs, Genzyme
Consider This
“Transportation is the largest contributor to greenhouse emissions in California, representing 40% of the total emissions.”
California Energy Commission
“Last year, PlanetTran ccovered 2,000,000 miles using 60,000 of gas resulting in a reduction of 1,200,000 of CO2 that was released into the atmosphere.”
PlanetTran
“PlanetTran saves almost an hour roundtrip and Wi-Fi allows employees to be productive while traveling.”
PlanetTran
“Taxis often drive 100,000 miles per year. Switching from a Crown Victoria to a Toyota Prius can save a taxi company $9,000 in fuel costs per year.”
hybridcars.com
“Raising mileage by 7.6 mpg would save enough to eliminate 100% of our gulf imports into this country.”
Environmental Attorney Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
“Our transportation CO2 emissions are the largest part (about 1/3) of all of our CO2 emissions, more than from factories, homes and all other sources.”
