[TusharK]

Ford has partnered with Hinjawadi Industries Association (HIA) to launch Office Ride, a shared mobility app in Pune.



Office Ride will provide shared mobility solutions for employees of the Rajiv Gandhi Infotech Park and aims to reduce traffic congestion and pollution. Shared vehicles will have free Wi-Fi connectivity. The app will enable users to plan their commutes and track the location of the vehicle. Payments for the service can be made through mobile phones using net banking, digital wallets or debit/credit cards.

Office Ride was launched on a pilot basis in March 2018. Initially, it was only available for Ford employees but was later expanded to other companies. The company claims to have completed 2,00,000 rides.

Ford and the Pune Smart City Development Corporation will also be exploring other mobility solutions like an integrated transport system and a Mobility Innovation Hub.

Link to Team-BHP News

[libranof1987]

I saw quite a few buses with the name parked at the fag end of the Hinjawadi phase 3 and wondered which this service is. I hope they can maintain a consistent level of service. There have been several such partnerships between a vendor and the HIA: MetroZip, CityZip and so on but most have severely degraded service over a period of time.

I wonder what Ford's involvement in this will be in the longer term though.

More such initiatives the better, we need drastic measures to control the vehicle : infrastructure gap.

[locusjag]

Office Ride. I'm slowly seeing their Tempo Travelers passing through some of the relatively unknown areas and back-roads in Chennai, dropping off employees in the evenings. If it works out for me, i'm up for giving them a shot. I understand they offer rides for flat Rs.59, no matter the distance. And we get AC and wi-fi.

What I don't know at this point is, do you need to pre-book yourselves for a whole month? Can you alter your timings based on home/work situations?

[vvijay]

Originally Posted by locusjag

I understand they offer rides for flat Rs.59, no matter the distance. And we get AC and wi-fi.

What I don't know at this point is, do you need to pre-book yourselves for a whole month? Can you alter your timings based on home/work situations?

The prices vary based on the route, but they have found themselves a nice space to play in, economical than any Uber / Ola ride, however not as affordable as a public commute, the sweet spot which millenials prefer esp. when they don't want to fight traffic but rather get productive during those hrs. attending meetings.

I have been a user for quite some time, and the UI is pretty stable and intuitive. Yes they offer "all-access passes" that come at a discounted rate for a specific number of rides (10, 20 for now) and yes they provide an option to reschedule in case you had the bad luck of running into your boss just when you thought you could swoop away for the day.

Cheers,
Vijay

[swissknife]

Such initiatives would sure help reducing the number of vehicles on the road. It would get more economical if they are put to other use rather than being parked for hours on end. Considering a lot of ITES work 24x7, I suppose it could be engaged for a fair amount of time, at the least.

[locusjag]

Originally Posted by vvijay

The prices vary based on the route,

Interestingly, they've held PR campaigns in our offices and distributed flyers which say that they only charge a flat 59 for any trip.