Ford Motor Company is testing out one component of its comprehensive “Smart Mobility” plan for the future this month, trying out a pilot “Ford Dynamic Shuttle” program on the automaker’s Dearborn campus.
Each Ford Dynamic Shuttle itself is an upfitted example of the Transit, featuring USB charging, complimentary wi-fi, and storage space for personal belongings. More important is the program itself, which allows Ford Motor Company employees to hail shuttles for transport around the campus using an experimental mobile app, and selects the ideal shuttle based on the user’s intended destination and the quickest-possible ride time.
The Ford Dynamic Shuttle pilot program has a fleet of four upfitted Transits for the time being, with more likely to follow in the later phases. It’s just one component of the sort of “multi-modal” transportation that Ford foresees easing urban congestion and parking, while improving the experience of shared- and public-transport.
Said Ford Global Mobility Solutions Manager Erica Klampfl: “The Dynamic Shuttle solution could fill the gap between a taxi service and public busing in cities around the globe. It also could offer a valuable service in emerging economies, where growth is outstripping development of the public transport infrastructure.”
The Ford Dynamic Shuttle pilot program was modelled taking into account research conducted in a variety of global cities, encompassing myriad different types of urban environments from Atlanta to New York, to Edinburgh, London, Sao Paulo, and even Mumbai.
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