Ford looking to partner with major global cities for integrated transport solutions
Ford has announced that it is looking to team up with “major global cities” – starting with San Francisco – to develop integrated transport solutions. Mark Fields, Ford president and CEO, explained: “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.
“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.”
In an official statement issued on Friday (9 September), Ford highlighted that its future urban solutions will encompass delivery vehicles as well as people carriers: “Today, half the world’s population lives in cities. By 2030, that number is expected to grow to 60%. As city populations grow, the challenges tied to moving people and goods around become tougher. Ford is committed to being part of the solution.”
As part of its “solution” for San Francisco – the first “major global city” to come aboard – Ford also announced on Friday that it has agreed to buy Chariot, a crowd-sourced startup that it is operating a shuttle service throughout the Bay Area using a fleet of around 100 Ford Transit vehicles.
“Today, Chariot’s routes are crowd-sourced based on rider demand,” said Ford. “In the future, they will operate dynamically – using data algorithms to map efficient routes to best serve the real-time mobility needs of communities.”
Ford expects to expand Chariot’s operations beyond San Francisco to at least five additional markets in the next 18 months – and to use it as “the cornerstone for its new global shuttle services business”.
Ford is establishing a new City Solutions team to work with cities worldwide. 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 – will lead the effort as vice president, Ford City Solutions.
Ford added that: “Discussions are already under way with several global cities.”
As Post&Parcel reported last week, Ford is also pressing ahead with its plans for driver-less (or “autonomous”) vehicles. and CEO Fields has indicated that the company believes that the taxi/shuttle and delivery sectors will probably the first areas to see a significant commercial take-up of the new technology.
