Collaborative mobility, the concept of how our society can share transportation in new ways in an effort to lessen our carbon footprint on the planet, may have at one time seemed a far off notion. But strides are being made toward more collaborative consumption and a shared economy, and now major car company Ford is getting in on the game, making collaborative mobility more realistic than ever.
It’s likely that you’ve heard of and even used popular ride-sharing companies such as Uber and Lyft, but these have certainly received some negative backlash as of late. While the idea is brilliant; the execution is not always quite up to par.
But Ford’s approach is forward thinking, nonetheless. The auto manufacturer is experimenting with a ride-share program called Dynamic Social Shuttle, which is a smartphone-enabled, on demand, point-to-point car service, that Ford is hoping will serve as a solution to our widespread transportation problem, according to the Ecopreneurist.
The service is dependent on ride-share passengers collaborating about routes and communication about scheduling. Ford is banking on research that shows the up and coming generation of drivers are not only supremely environmentally aware but also experts in social media as well as online learning and collaboration.
Meanwhile, Ford has been testing a smaller shuttle van at its Dearborn campus, in order to save money on fuel but also to align the size of the vehicle more closely with the number of riders. While this is only an inter-company service, it could be another hint that Ford is very much considering jumping into the ride-sharing game in the future.
With much of the world giving the deserved attention to the needs to our sustainability as well as our economy, collaborative mobility seems to be on the verge of exploding. Eco-aware consumers in our society are open to the idea of this concept as well as the notion of a shared economy and are rapidly embracing the programs that are already in place.
If a huge auto manufacturer like Ford is tossing its hat into the metaphoric ring, others are certain to follow suit with their own versions of ride-sharing programs. This means collaborative mobility becoming mainstream may be closer than we think.
What do you think about collaborative mobility? Do you participate in ride sharing programs? Why or why not?
Feature image courtesy of proudly vegan