Here are the six London routes Ford’s Chariot commuter shuttle is planning to start next year
Earlier this month, Ford confirmed it was eyeing plans to take its Chariot commuter shuttle bus service to the capital, and today, the London routes it is plotting have been revealed.
The car giant said it is planning six initial routes for the capital, which have now been published by Transport for London (TfL) in its London service permit bulletin, and are now open for consultation until the 18 December.
The services, which Ford is hoping to introduce from 29 January next year, would operate using "off-bus electronic ticketing". Passengers use an app to find commuter routes near them, reserve a seat, and also use the app to pay.
The six London routes:
- Battersea Bullet: Battersea Park to Kennington Station
- Nuxley Navigator: Carlton Road, Erith to Abbey Wood Station
- Riverside Racer: Fulham Riverside, Townmead Road to Holland Park Station
- Shooters Hill Shot: Shooters Hill to North Greenwich Station
- Southwark Shortcut: St Georges Way to Bermondsey Underground Station
- Wandsworth Wanderer: Wandsworth Riverside to Clapham Junction Station
The company's Chariot service uses a fleet of Ford 15-seater transit vans to ferry passengers along popular routes in the likes of San Francisco and Austin, Texas, as well as New York.
The six prospective routes would run Monday to Friday apart from public holidays, with Ford offering services from Wandsworth Riverside to Clapham Junction station, from Battersea Park to Kennington Station, and another from Fulham Riverside to Holland Park station.
It looks to supplement public transit bus routes and local trains with commuter routes that are not as well served by the existing options.
Ford said in a statement: "Chariot operates in four markets: San Francisco, New York, Austin and Seattle in the U.S. We continue to explore additional markets as part of our expansion plans, with London being one of them.
"We have applied for the relevant licenses to operate a commuter microtransit service in London that would complement the existing public transport system. We are now awaiting a response from TfL regarding our applications for London service permits."