Ford’s decision to bin Chariot ride-share service came after ‘significant consideration’

Ford has given no explanation for the decision to abandon its ride-sharing shuttle service Chariot, but said it came after “significant consideration”. The service will stop operating on UK shuttle commuter routes tomorrow – after just a few months - and on US routes after 1 February. All Chariot services will cease completely by the end of March. A statement from the company gave little clue as to why: “In today’s mobility landscape, the wants and needs of customers and cities are changing rapidly. We a
January 24, 2019 Read time: 2 mins

278 Ford has given no explanation for the decision to abandon its ride-sharing %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 link-external shuttle false http://www.itsinternational.com/categories/utc/news/chariot-shuttle-service-to-help-london-companies-cut-commutes/ false false%> service Chariot, but said it came after “significant consideration”.

The service will stop operating on UK shuttle commuter routes tomorrow – after just a few months - and on US routes after 1 February.

All Chariot services will cease completely by the end of March.

A statement from the company gave little clue as to why: “In today’s mobility landscape, the wants and needs of customers and cities are changing rapidly. We apologise for the inconvenience this may cause Chariot’s riders and our enterprise customers.”

Parent group Ford has been under pressure worldwide this year, posting significant losses outside of its heartland in North America.

The motor manufacturer recently announced thousands of job losses in Europe and said that it is worried about the effects of a so-called ‘hard Brexit’ if and when the UK leaves the 1816 European Union.

Chariot says it is committed to ensuring its customers are aware of the decision and have time to make alternative transportation arrangements, and promises to refund all remaining commuter credit balances.

UTC

Related Content

  • April 9, 2019
    ITS America student essay competition: deadline 14 April
    The deadline for US college students to take part in ITS America’s annual essay competition is fast approaching – entries must be in by Sunday 14 April. The competition, sponsored by Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), invites students of transportation, engineering and public policy to share ‘thought provoking’ visions for the future of transport. The topic is: ‘How do you envision disruptive technologies impacting transportation systems to make them safer, greener or smarter over the next 10 years?’ U
    Read More
  • December 21, 2018
    London ‘should emulate New York’ to reduce congestion, says Karhoo
    London could reduce congestion by emulating New York when it comes to open data, claims technology firm Karhoo. New York has publicly-available anonymised TPEP/LPEP75 data which allowed Karhoo to assess the impact of taxi and private hire (PH) movements on traffic flow, congestion and pollution, the company says. It adds that if Transport for London (TfL) were to follow suit, it “would be quick and relatively low-cost given that almost every licenced vehicle is connected to tracking systems already”. Tf
    Read More
  • December 17, 2018
    Uber introduces bus service in Egypt
    Uber has launched its Uber Bus service in Egypt as part of a strategy to provide commuters living in Cairo with an affordable transportation option. The service can be accessed via Uber’s standard app. Uber groups passengers travelling in the same direction to make the service more affordable and reduce the number of stops per trip. Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber CEO, says: “We are committed to broadening access to the Uber platform with a range of low-cost options that will move more people around town an
    Read More
  • July 24, 2019
    Self-driving bus collides with pedestrian in Vienna
    A self-driving bus trial in the Austrian capital Vienna has been halted after a collision between a vehicle and pedestrian, says Bloomberg. Authorities are now investing the cause of the incident which led to minor injuries. According to Bloomberg, state broadcaster ORF says the Navya vehicle was driving at 7.5 miles per hour when it hit the 30-year-old woman in the knee. In a statement given to The Verge, Navya said witnesses had seen the pedestrian wearing headphones and looking at a mobile phon
    Read More

Highlighted Content