New York City “Transit Deserts” Get New Mobility
Ford launches its Chariot crowd-sourcing shuttle service to reach underserved areas in the Big Apple.
Ford launches its Chariot crowd-sourcing shuttle service to reach underserved areas in the Big Apple.
Disrupting traffic trends in New York City, Ford Motor Company now offers an innovative alternative for commuters looking to beat the headache of rush hour.
Ford’s Chariot is a crowd-sourced shuttle service that promises to reduce the number of vehicles clogging the roads while filling the gaps in so-called “Transit Deserts” where public transportation offerings are limited.
During typical commuting times, Chariot shuttles travel to busy areas where people work. Riders simply check the app to find commuter routes near them, then reserve a guaranteed seat for a flat rate of $4. Each Chariot comfortably accommodates more than a dozen people and guarantees seats for every rider.
Plus, to keep Chariot affordable, we’ve made payment solutions such as WageWorks and commuter checks — which allow people to use pretax wages to pay for commuting costs — fully compatible with the service.
Chariot users also have the option to create additional service areas through crowd-sourcing, including custom routes for areas they feel would benefit from Chariot. They can share their proposed route with friends, family and neighbors who may be taking similar commutes. Once enough riders sign up and fund a proposed route, as many Chariots as needed will be dispatched to service the area.
Ford hopes the low-cost shuttle service will also help alleviate the number of vehicles on the road — which has become a big issue in New York City — as its population continues to grow and more people are using public transportation than ever before.
In 2016, average weekday ridership on the subway was 5.7 million people — the highest since 1948, according to the New York Metropolitan Transit Authority — and annual ridership topped 1.7 billion. But, while 94 percent of residential units in Manhattan are within half a mile of a subway stop, only 54 percent of units in Queens are, according to research by New York University’s Furman Center. For many Queens’ residents, simply getting to a transit point can be difficult, particularly for low-income, elderly and the disabled.
“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.”
New York is the latest market to get Chariot’s service, which launched with two pre-planned service areas of 60 vehicles operating in Manhattan and Brooklyn. In San Francisco, where Chariot operates 12 commuter service areas, about 20 percent of riders use it to connect to transit hubs, such as BART and Caltrain, or to ferry terminals.
“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.”
By this fall we also plan to launch Chariot enterprise and charter services in New York. Enterprise service is for companies that want to provide shared commutes for their employees, while charters allow users to directly book a private 14-passenger Chariot for day trips or events.
“Our mission at Chariot is to provide reliable, safe and affordable transportation for as many people as possible. 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.”
