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Chariot Expands London Shuttle Service to Help Companies Cut Commutes and Congestion, Improve Access to Jobs

  • Chariot – Ford’s ride-sharing commuter shuttle service – expands its offering by launching its first European routes ready to serve companies and campuses

  • App-enabled minibuses able to connect office parks, hospitals and universities with public transport hubs to reduce journey times and provide comfortable, stress-free commutes

  • Ford partners with sustainable transport group, easitNETWORK, to provide shuttle service for people working at major west London business park near to Heathrow Airport

LONDON, Aug. 30, 2018 – Ford’s ride-sharing shuttle service – Chariot – launched its first European routes tailored for companies and campuses this week, promising easier, less stressful commutes.

Chariot, which began operating in London earlier this year, is a ride-sharing minibus service that connects commuters living and working in areas underserved by public transport with nearby transit hubs. Now, Chariot is expanding its focus to serve companies and out-of-town campuses where access by public transport can be difficult. By cutting the reliance on cars to get to work, Chariot reduces the number of vehicles on the road to improve commutes for everyone.

Employers based in locations with less convenient public transport face challenges attracting and retaining the best talent, while on average, taking everything into account, it costs £30,000 to replace an employee who leaves. * Furthermore, staff who work for firms that minimise the stress and expense of their commute find their companies to be more attractive places to work.

“Companies know that a good daily commute can make a real difference to their employees’ quality of life – and the quality of their work,” said Sarah-Jayne Williams, Ford’s director for Smart Mobility in Europe. “With Chariot we’re providing a comfortable, modern and efficient transport service that we think will benefit staff, their employers and – by helping to reduce traffic – the city around them.”

The first new Chariot route is a collaboration between Chariot and award-winning sustainable transport group, easitNETWORK. The service is available for commuters travelling between Stockley Park – near to Heathrow Airport on the outskirts of west London – and Hayes & Harlington Station, a major transport hub served by TfL Rail, National Rail and, from next year, the new Elizabeth Line. One of Europe’s premier business parks, the 150-acre Stockley Park campus accommodates more than 7,500 employees from a variety of major businesses including IBM, Apple and BP.

The road infrastructure around Stockley Park – which includes the M25 London orbital, the M4 and M40 motorways serving Heathrow Airport and the capital – can be very busy at peak times, with the office park management encouraging businesses and their employees to use public transport and sustainable transport initiatives such as ride-sharing. **

The free easitSTOCKLEY PARK Shuttle Bus operates during weekday morning and afternoon peak times, taking a direct route between Hayes & Harlington station and the Stockley Park campus. A further service – the Lunchtime Shopper – connects Stockley Park and the nearby Intu Uxbridge Shopping Centre, providing an opportunity for staff to relax and run errands. ***

As well as cutting journey times with dedicated, direct services for people working at the Stockley Park campus, Chariot offers a smartphone app that lets bus users book a seat and track their vehicle’s progress in real time. The fuel-efficient 14-seat Ford Transit minibuses feature spacious, air-conditioned interiors, enabling passengers to travel and work in comfort.

“The launch of the new easitSTOCKLEY PARK Shuttle Bus is yet another fantastic string to easitNETWORK’s bow and we very much look forward to working with Chariot to make easitMEMBERS’ commute that bit easier,” said Dr Mel Mehmet, MBE, founder and CEO of the easitNETWORK.

Following a soft launch this week, the free easitSTOCKLEY PARK Shuttle Bus begins full service on Sept. 3. The service will be free to anyone with the Chariot app installed on their smartphone until Dec. 1, after which it will only be available to easitMEMBERS. ****

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* https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/jobs/10657008/Replacing-staff-costs-British-businesses-4bn-each-year.html

** Stockley Park Travel Plan (WSP | Parsons Brinkerhoff), section 4.5: https://www.stockleypark.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Stockley_Park_Travel_Plan_FINAL_Aug_2015.pdf

*** easitSTOCKLEY PARK Shuttle Bus travels between Hayes & Harlington station to Stockley Park from 06:30 to 09:30 and 16:00 to 19:00 weekdays; the Lunchtime Shopper travels between Stockley Park and the Intu Uxbridge Shopping Centre from 12:00 to 14:00

**** For further information on becoming an easitMEMBER contact info@easit.org.uk or visit www.easit.org.uk/easitstockley-park

About Chariot

Chariot, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ford Motor Company and part of its Smart Mobility division, runs more than 100 daily routes serving San Francisco, New York, Austin, Seattle, Columbus and London. Designed to be used twice a day, every day, users can easily reserve a seat on a Chariot via the iOS or Android app, and hop on one of the company’s 14-passenger Ford Transit vehicles operated by friendly, professional employee drivers. For more information, visit www.chariot.com.  

 

About easit

easitNETWORK is a powerful working partnership designed to support and encourage the most influential businesses in a local area to adopt alternative and sustainable transport behaviours to reduce pollution, ease congestion and increase satisfaction within its staff base. By bringing together the major employers in an area, easitNETWORK generates a critical mass, enabling the introduction and use of far more initiatives that could not necessarily be taken up by one of the organisations alone. 

 

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan. The company designs, manufactures, markets and services a full line of Ford cars, trucks, SUVs, electrified vehicles and Lincoln luxury vehicles, provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company and is pursuing leadership positions in electrification, autonomous vehicles and mobility solutions. Ford employs approximately 201,000 people worldwide. For more information regarding Ford, its products and Ford Motor Credit Company, please visit www.corporate.ford.com.

 

Ford of Europe is responsible for producing, selling and servicing Ford brand vehicles in 50 individual markets and employs approximately 54,000 employees at its wholly owned facilities and approximately 69,000 people when joint ventures and unconsolidated businesses are included. In addition to Ford Motor Credit Company, Ford Europe operations include Ford Customer Service Division and 24 manufacturing facilities (16 wholly owned or consolidated joint venture facilities and eight unconsolidated joint venture facilities). The first Ford cars were shipped to Europe in 1903 – the same year Ford Motor Company was founded. European production started in 1911.