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Ford is teaming up with major global cities – starting with San
Francisco – to help solve congestion issues and help people move more
easily, today and in the future
-
Ford Smart Mobility LLC to 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
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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
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Ford establishes new City Solutions team as part of its Ford Smart
Mobility LLC to lead expanding mobility efforts with key cities
worldwide
Company Website:
http://corporate.ford.com/
SAN FRANCISCO -- (Business Wire)
Ford is teaming up with major global cities – starting with San
Francisco – to solve congestion issues and help people move more easily,
today and in the future.
This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here:
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160909005736/en/
Ford is teaming up with major global cities – starting with San Francisco – to help solve congestion issues and help people move more easily, today and in the future. To do this, Ford Smart Mobility LLC to acquire Chariot, a 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. Ford is also collaborating with Motivate across San Francisco and the Bay Area, adding more transportation options for residents and visitors with new Ford GoBike bike sharing. (Photo: Business Wire)
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.”
Bikes are another important mode of transportation for commuters in the
Bay Area. Ford and 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 optimize 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.
About Ford Motor Company
Ford
Motor Company is a global automotive and mobility company
based in Dearborn, Michigan. With about 203,000 employees and 67 plants
worldwide, the company’s core business includes designing,
manufacturing, marketing, financing and servicing a full line of Ford
cars, trucks, SUVs and electrified vehicles, as well as Lincoln luxury
vehicles. At the same time, Ford aggressively is pursuing emerging
opportunities through Ford Smart Mobility, the company’s plan to be a
leader in connectivity, mobility, autonomous vehicles, the customer
experience, and data and analytics. The company provides financial
services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information
regarding Ford, its products worldwide or Ford Motor Credit Company,
visit www.corporate.ford.com.
For news releases, related materials and high-resolution photos and
video, visit www.media.ford.com.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160909005736/en/
Contacts:
Ford Motor Company
Karen Hampton
313.236.3467
khampton@ford.com
or
Angie
Kozleski
313.218.8203
akozlesk@ford.com
Source: Ford Motor Company
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