Ford acquires S.F. shuttle bus service, Chariot

[dealmaker]

Ford acquires S.F. shuttle bus service, Chariot

Ford will also invest in Motivate, a Bay Area bike-sharing operator. Ford plans to expand the shuttle service that now operates out of San Francisco to five more cities within the next 18 months as it the company looks beyond car sales. (Verge)

 

[felixbocharov]

Diversification works not only for the investors☺.

 

[dealmaker]

And they'll be selling buses to Chariot....

 

[mlawson71]

For a very brief moment there I thought that the article refers to space shuttles. That would've been amazing.

 

[Tyler York]

Why would Ford want to operate a bus line? My guess is they're trying to get a piece of the Car + Autonomous Tech + Uber-esque transporation pie. Thoughts?

 

[dealmaker]

Why would Ford want to operate a bus line? My guess is they're trying to get a piece of the Car + Autonomous Tech + Uber-esque transporation pie. Thoughts?

Next time you see a school bus check out manufacturers emblem you might be surprised to see Ford. Buying Chariot not only gives them Uber-esque transportation pie but also a captive customer. Chariot's business model only works in tier-1 metropolitan areas with strong business environment so they won't have to worry about expanding to less profitable secondary and tertiary areas...