Ford Launches Office Ride, an App-Based Shared Mobility Solution

 Ford partners with Hinjawadi Industries Association (HIA) to launch Office Ride, an app-based shared mobility solution

 Office Ride to help reduce congestion and provide a smarter, safer daily commute alternative to more than 350,000 people working at Rajiv Gandhi Infotech Park

 Ford Motor Company and Pune Smart City Development Corporation to explore a host of mobility solutions, including an integrated transport system and a Mobility Innovation Hub

by Shrutee K/DNS

PUNE, February 12, 2019 – Ford Motor Company in partnership with Hinjawadi Industries Association (HIA) today launched Office Ride - an app-based shared mobility solution for the residents of Pune city. The Office Ride shared mobility solution was first announced by Hon’ble Chief Minister of Maharashtra Shri Devendra Fadnavis last week when he launched multiple smart city initiatives.  Office Ride will provide a smarter, safer and easier daily commute alternative for employees of Rajiv Gandhi Infotech Park and will help reduce traffic, congestion and pollution by encouraging the use of shared mobility.

“Covering 2,800 acres, Rajiv Gandhi Infotech Park (RGIP) in Hinjawadi houses 180 IT companies and 350,000 employees. Today, less than 10 per cent of those employees depend on public transportation or shared mobility for their daily commute,” said Dr Satish Pai, President, Hinjawadi Industries Association (HIA). “We welcome Ford to the Metrozip family with their safe, convenient and connected Office Ride solution and thank them for their support in redefining the future of mobility.”

The Office Ride initiative also forms part of Ford’s efforts to collaborate with the Pune Smart City Development Corporation to explore an integrated transport system to help reduce stress on existing infrastructure and improve the commuting experience.

Each shared vehicle within the Office Ride system will offer free Wi-Fi connectivity to support a more convenient and productive daily commute.  Office Ride will enable users to plan their commutes more efficiently by tracking the location of their vehicle through the app and leaving home according to the scheduled time of departure from the pickup point. Users will be able to pay for the service through their mobile phones, using any preferred digital mode, including internet banking, digital wallets and credit/ debit cards.

“Ford changed the way the world moved 115 years ago, and it is our responsibility to do it again,” said R. Mahadevan, country director, Ford Smart Mobility, India. “As a mobility company, we are working with cities to help address growing transportation challenges and are pleased to start our collaboration with Pune Smart City Development Corporation and Hinjawadi Industries Association with Office Ride.”

Ford’s Office Ride began as a pilot for Ford employees in March 2018 and soon expanded to other companies, delivering over 200,000 successful rides. Implementing Office Ride in Pune builds on the service’s initial success in Chennai and showcases Ford’s commitment to improving transportation in cities. “We welcome Office Ride to Pune and look forward to partnering with Ford to help resolve the urban mobility challenges facing the city,” said Rajendra Jagtap, CEO, PSCDCL.

Ford - in a Statement of Intent (SoI) - signed with Pune Smart City Development Corporation has also proposed to set up an integrated transport operating system. Once approved, the system will offer one-click journey planning & ticketing as well as commuter and operator analytics and establish a Mobility Innovation Hub in Pune.

Welcoming Office Ride, Manojit Bose, chief knowledge officer, PSCDCL said, “Urban mobility has been one of the most challenging issues to resolve, and Pune Smart City is working on various approaches such as testing best-of-breed technology-led solutions to bring in the desired change.” Ford’s City Solutions team has been working with stakeholders in the planning and development of both current and future cities in India. The company earlier signed a MoU with Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority [MMRDA] to set up common mobility solutions for commuters across multiple modes of transportation such as buses, trains, taxis, metros and vehicles across Maharashtra.