Ford was founded in 1903 in Dearborn, Michigan. They have built cars that have defined generations since the beginning. Ford has weathered the storms through the Great Depression and Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the recession of the early 2000's. Ford was one of the few companies, during the recession, that didn't need to be economically bailed out. Ford hasn't lasted this long because they aren't sure how to stay relevant in an ever-changing world.
Ford is one of those forward thinking companies that tries to stay ahead of the times. They understand the evolution of it's customers and the society to which they provide their products and services.
They fully embrace that the world we live in today is a place where people are absolutely conscious of their Carbon Footprint and their health and fitness. Because of this, Ford needed to become more proactive in dwindling it's own carbon footprint and providing alternate transportation options in crowded cities.
Motivate and Ford are doing big things together.
Ford has partnered with Motivate, the company who is responsible for bike sharing programs in other major cities like New York and D.C., to create Ford's GoBike program. This program was created to expand the already existing bike sharing program in the San Francisco Bay Area.
It is slated to launch in the San Francisco Bay area by the end of June 2017.
Users will be able to purchase a GoBike card or use the GoBike app in order to access the bikes. The cost is $149 for a year long membership. This expansion will increase the number of bikes in the Bay area 10 fold, from around 700 to near 7000. By the end of the year, those 7000 bikes will be available at more than 400 stations located all over the Bay area.
Communities like San Jose and Berkeley will be dotted with bikes and people under the beautiful California sunshine.
Ford didn't just stop at a bike sharing program.
Ford also purchased a commute-sharing company based in San Francisco called Chariot. This will be another option for the citizens of the Bay Area to avoid driving.
These will have great value and wonderful positive results in many ways. Programs like this can only benefit an area in positive way. It will create jobs for people in the area. The obvious environmental benefits are an unspoken obvious. This is also a great way that a car company can get involved in creating a better world without emissions. It sets a great example and blazes a wonderful trail for other car companies to follow.
