Ford Motor Dives Into Mass Transit
Ford executives say the company can earn larger profits in the mass transit business than from simply selling vehicles.
Officials with the Ford Motor Company say the automaker plans to move beyond simply making autos to helping customers find the most
One of the buzzwords at this year’s Detroit auto show is “mobility.”
For the chair of the Ford Motor Company, Bill Ford Jr., mobility stands for a piece of the automotive industry he wants in on – transportation services like Mass transit systems, taxi cabs and ride sharing.
Ford calls the lucrative $5.4 trillion transportation sector the future of the auto industry.
“The opportunities that we have in front of us are very different than what my great-grandfather faced,” Ford Jr. said. “But the notion of providing mobility to people around the world, that’s not new to us. But what’s clear is no one company can do this by themselves.”
Ford says his company is partnering with IBM on a pilot project that will help drivers find open parking spaces in crowded lots or advise those stuck in traffic jams about other, more efficient transit options.
