American multinational automaker Ford has signed an agreement to San Francisco-based crowd-sourced shuttle service, Chariot.

The acquisition is part of its efforts to partner with global cities to help solve congestion issues and help people to move more easily now and in the future. It is subject to normal customary closing conditions.

The Chariot shuttle service, which operates nearly 100 Ford Transit shuttles along 28 routes throughout San Francisco Bay Area, is expected to be expanded beyond San Francisco to at least five additional markets in the next 18 months.

Chariot cofounder and CEO Ali Vahabzadeh said: “Chariot’s mission from day one has been to solve the commute by providing a mass transit solution that is fast, reliable and affordable for people living in today’s cities.

“We started our Chariot service with Ford’s 15-passenger vehicles and continue to use Ford Transit shuttles to this day.

"We couldn’t be more thrilled to be Ford Smart Mobility’s first acquisition and leverage its leadership in transportation to fulfil Chariot’s goals worldwide.”

Additionally, the company has revealed plans to establish a new City Solutions team to work with cities around the world on their transportation needs.

The American automaker has also collaborated with bike-sharing provider Motivate to expand its transportation solutions in city centres.

Ford and Motivate, a global bike company, are working with city officials to add new stations and increase the number of bikes to 7,000 in the Bay Area by the end of 2018.

Ford GoBike is scheduled for launch in 2017 and can be accessed by users through the FordPass platform. Ford president and CEO Mark Fields said: “We’re expanding our business to be both an auto and a mobility company, and partnering with cities on current and future transportation needs is the next major step.

"Ford and Motivate are working with city officials to add new stations and increase the number of bikes to 7,000 in the Bay Area by the end of 2018."

“For more than 100 years, Ford has been part of the community and the trusted source for automotive transportation.

"Now, we want to work with communities to offer even more transportation choices and solutions for people, for decades to come.”

The company said that nearly half the world’s population lives in cities today and this number is expected to grow to 60% by 2030.

Image: A Ford bicycle and van. Photo: courtesy of The Ford Motor Company.