Ford adds chariots and bikes

Ford has acquired Chariot, a San Francisco-based crowd-sourced shuttle service, and is collaborating with bike-sharing provider Motivate to expand its transportation solutions in city centres.

Ford is also establishing a new City Solutions team to work with cities around the world on their transportation needs. The moves are Ford’s first steps to solve congestion issues and help people move more easily in major global cities.

‘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, president and CEO of Ford, ‘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.’

Ford’s acquisition of Chariot, 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.

Ford and Motivate, a global bike share company, 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.

Jim Hackett, chairman of Ford Smart Mobility LLC, ‘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.’

 

SHARE
Share