Josh Massey named his transportation startup “Alfred” after Batman’s butler. Much like the fictional manservant, the company’s professional drivers schlep users about in luxury vehicles (but not Batmobiles).
And in the same way Bruce Wayne is close to his butler, users can forge a relationship with the person behind the wheel.
“Alfred’s so much more than just this driver,” said Massey, the CEO and founder of the Madison-based company. “He’s an extension of the family.”
The Alfred app, which launched in January, is a professional “black car” ride service meant to bridge a gap left by ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft. The cars are exclusively fancy, and the drivers are exclusively industry professionals. Instead of an anonymous system of matching drivers with passengers on demand, Alfred is more of a booking tool: Consumers schedule a pickup, pick out drivers from a roster, and message their chauffeur-to-be to hammer out details. Read the full story here.
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