Ford has announced the launch of its new crowd-sourced shuttle service Chariot in New York City in August. The Chariot service will give commuters that live far from public transportation, an easier way to get to work.
The Chariot shuttles will travel to busy areas where people work, then bring them back at the end of the day. Each Chariot comfortably accommodates more than a dozen people and guarantees seats for every rider.
“Our mission at Chariot is to provide reliable, safe and affordable transportation for as many people as possible,” said Chariot CEO Ali Vahabzadeh. “We want to connect people more easily to where they want to go – whether they need help making it to a transit hub or live in an area underserved by public transportation.”
The Chariot service is launching with two pre-planned service areas in Manhattan and Brooklyn, at a flat rate of $4 per ride. People can create additional service areas through crowd-sourcing. By this fall, Chariot plans to have 60 vehicles operating in New York City.
“We know how important it is for everyone to be able to get around effectively – especially in densely populated places like New York,” said Jessica Robinson, director, Ford City Solutions. “Chariot is one way we’re trying to help cities accommodate their residents and ensure people aren’t sacrificing their needs as a result of limited mobility options.”
Chariot already operates in San Francisco with 12 commuter service areas. In San Francisco about 20 percent of riders use it to connect to transit hubs such as BART and Caltrain, or to ferry terminals.
Source: Ford
