Share, a ride-sharing company, was awarded $16,000 from The Paradox Prize for helping job seekers and workers in East Cleveland, Euclid and Glenville commute to job hubs in Mentor and Painesville in Lake County.

The Paradox Prize, a public competition looking for mobility solutions, was started in June by The Fund For Our Economic Future. The goal is to address the “no car, no job; no job, no car” paradox in Northeast Ohio.

Five mobility pilot programs have received awards thus far, including Share. The startup uses company-owned vehicles with corporate drivers. Similar to major ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft, it lets you track vehicle locations, and you can rate and share comments about your travel experience.  Share's mission statement is to “live in a world where everyone is a passenger.”

Share uses company-owned vehicles with corporate drivers, similar to major ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft.“At the end of every ride, our customers are able to rate their ride and post comments,” says Hoa McManus, co-founder and chief of culture at Share, based in Columbus. “One of the best comments I have gotten so far was that the rider was so comfortable that he fell asleep. We also get a lot of comments about how safe our drivers are.”

Share, partnering with Express Employment Professionals, based in Oklahoma City, not only works with people who are looking for jobs, they also work with businesses, seniors, students who are veterans, and municipalities.

“We are business to business focused,” McManus said. “We do not do marketing to consumers unless they are part of an organization. Our goal is to recruit and retain top talent by adding the transportation layer.”

Share wants to take more cars off of the road, lowering carbon emissions, and show employees that they are cared for, McManus says. “If you have a great culture at your work, adding Share to it would be another benefit,” he says.

Getting single occupancy vehicles off the road and reducing rush-hour gridlock are high on Share’s agenda.

“We live in a part of the world where traffic is not that bad,” McManus said. “If we don’t start to become more conscious about transportation, we may end up like San Francisco or Los Angeles.”

To get involved in The Paradox Prize, send an email to paradoxprize@thefundneo.org. The deadline to submit your idea for the third round is Jan. 15, 2020.