The Ford Motor Company is teaming up with major global cities, starting with San Francisco, in order to help solve congestion issues and help people move more easily now and for the future. Ford has decided to establish a new City Solutions team as part of its Ford Smart Mobility LLC to lead expanding mobility efforts with key cities worldwide.
So beginning with San Francisco, which has somehow become the I.T capital of America and where real estate has suddenly become super expensive as a result of the I.T boom, Ford Smart Mobility LLC has announced that it will acquire Chariot, a San Francisco-based crowd-sourced shuttle service that plans to grow Ford’s dynamic shuttle services globally, providing affordable and convenient transportation to at least five additional markets in 18 months
Started in 2014, Chariot operates nearly 100 Ford Transit shuttles along 28 routes throughout San Francisco Bay Area. Today, Chariot’s routes are crowd-sourced based on rider demand. The Chariot shuttles complement mass transit by filling the gap between taxi and bus services – providing an on-demand, point-to- point transportation option that is convenient, efficient and cost-effective. For every one dynamic shuttle that is placed into service during peak travel times, urban congestion could be reduced by up to 25 fewer vehicles. No, this isn't like Uber or Grab car exactly as Chariot are like Uber minibuses and would ply a certain fixed route yet is flexible in its scheduling. Demand for the 'buses' are based on the software and how much is required based on what is keyed in by its users. Quite unique actually.
Collaborating with Motivate across San Francisco and the Bay Area, Ford is adding more transportation options for residents and visitors with new Ford GoBike bike sharing too.
On demand public transport. With the assistance of an automobile company. Value added services indeed.
And speaking about the Ford Transit, Ford Malaysia together with Sime Darby Auto Connexion had recently launched the 14 seater Transit window van for people who need lots of seats and for companies that need to ferry people around. It is priced at RM148,888 on the road without insurance in Peninsular Malaysia and RM151,888 in East Malaysia. Read about it here.
PRESS RELEASE
Ford Partnering with Global Cities on New Transportation; Chariot
Shuttle to Be Acquired, Ford GoBike to Launch in San Francisco
Francisco – to solve congestion issues and help people move more easily, today and in the future.
The company today is announcing an agreement to acquire Chariot, a San Francisco-based crowd-
sourced shuttle service, and collaborating with bike-sharing provider Motivate to expand its
transportation solutions in city centers. Ford also is establishing a new City Solutions team to work
with cities around the world on their transportation needs.
“We’re expanding our business to be both an auto and a mobility company, and partnering with
cities on current and future transportation needs is the next major step,” said Mark Fields, Ford
president and CEO. “For more than 100 years, Ford has been part of the community and the
trusted source for automotive transportation. Now, we want to work with communities to offer even
more transportation choices and solutions for people – for decades to come.”
Today, half the world’s population lives in cities. By 2030, that number is expected to grow to 60
percent. As city populations grow, the challenges tied to moving people and goods around become
tougher. Ford is committed to being part of the solution.
“Cities globally are dealing with increased congestion, a growing middle class and environmental
issues – all of which can be alleviated by developing mobility solutions fine-tuned to the unique
challenges of each location,” said Jim Hackett, chairman, Ford Smart Mobility LLC, the company’s
subsidiary created to design, build, grow and invest in emerging mobility services. “At the same
time, by expanding our business model to include new forms of transportation – from bikes to
dynamic shuttles and more – we are introducing new customers to Ford and creating new revenue
and profit opportunities for the future.”
Ford’s acquisition of Chariot, subject to normal customary closing conditions, will serve as the
cornerstone for its new global shuttle services business. The shuttle service is expected to be
expanded beyond San Francisco to at least five additional markets in the next 18 months.
Started in 2014, Chariot operates nearly 100 Ford Transit shuttles along 28 routes throughout San
Francisco Bay Area. Today, Chariot’s routes are crowd-sourced based on rider demand. In the
future, they will operate dynamically – using data algorithms to map efficient routes to best serve
the real-time mobility needs of communities.
The Chariot shuttles complement mass transit by filling the gap between taxi and bus services –
providing an on-demand, point-to- point transportation option that is convenient, efficient and cost-
effective. For every one dynamic shuttle that is placed into service during peak travel times, urban
congestion could be reduced by up to 25 fewer vehicles, according to a private study for Ford
conducted by KPMG.
“Chariot’s mission from day one has been to solve the commute by providing a mass transit solution
that is fast, reliable and affordable for people living in today’s cities,” said Ali Vahabzadeh, Chariot
cofounder and CEO. “We started our Chariot service with Ford’s 15-passenger vehicles and
continue to use Ford Transit shuttles to this day. We couldn’t be more thrilled to be Ford Smart
Mobility’s first acquisition and leverage its leadership in transportation to fulfill Chariot’s goals
worldwide.”
Motivate, the global leader in bike share, are working with city officials to add new stations and
increase the number of bikes to 7,000 in the Bay Area by the end of 2018. When it launches next
year, Ford GoBike will be accessed by users through the FordPass ® platform.
“A transportation revolution is coming to the Bay Area,” said Jay Walder, CEO of Motivate. “This
unique partnership with Ford shows that bike share is no longer alternative transportation; it is
central to creating smart, on-demand mobility that represents our values for equity and
sustainability. Thanks to the partnership of Metropolitan Transportation Commission, San
Francisco, San Jose, Oakland, Berkeley and Emeryville, bike share will soon be available for all in
the Bay Area.”
Ford plans to develop technologies to use data collected from the bikes to build an interconnected
mobility network. This could include real-time data, such as weather conditions, usage patterns and
bike availability, to optimise commutes.
Ford also is establishing its new City Solutions team to work with cities on expanding mobility
services worldwide as part of Ford Smart Mobility LLC. John Kwant – who has worked with several
global cities during his Ford career as part of the company’s government affairs and global strategy
teams – has been tapped to lead the effort as vice president, Ford City Solutions.
The team will address the reality that each city’s transportation ecosystem has evolved over time
and poses a unique set of transportation challenges. Through a joint discovery process, Ford City
Solutions will work with municipalities to propose, pilot and develop mobility solutions tailored to the
community. Discussions are already under way with several global cities.
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