Easing NYC Commute: Ford Partners with Chariot

NYC commuters, your Chariot awaits

According to today's New York Times, more New Yorkers are commuting by bicycle. I am all for this, and am, in fact, running the NYC Marathon again as a member of the Transportation Alternatives team.

But not everyone can or wants to bike to work. I get it. I am also rather fed up with the NYC subways this summer. I've been stuck in more stalled trains, or behind sick passengers, or delayed because of signal problems or police incidents or train traffic than cumulatively over the last decade.  The subways are so horrible that Governor Cuomo has declared a state of emergency.

Ford partnered with Chariot

This is on top of construction at Penn Station, which many subways traverse, which is undergoing its summer of hell.

So I was intrigued when I heard about a new transit option, Chariot. Chariot, a crowd-sourced shuttle service, partnered with Ford to help commuters in New York City. This is part of Ford Motor Company's smart mobility plan to innovate beyond private car ownership.

Chariot already operates in San Francisco, Seattle and Austin, and launches in NYC in August. The service is designed to address transportation deserts and fill in gaps in transportation. When Chariot launches, it will have two routes, Greenpoint, Brooklyn to Dumbo, and the Lower East Side to midtown.

The old (cab) and the new (Chariot) alternatives to crowded subways

Chariot CEO Ali Vahabzadeh said the 'micro transit' is entirely crowd sourced; by fall, Chariot plans to have 60 shuttles running throughout the city, with routes determined by users who make suggestions.

What is great about Chariot, as opposed to other app-based transportation services, is that each shuttle  fits 14 people. Vahabzadeh said at Chariot takes at least 10 people off the road. If you have sat in traffic, you know that having fewer cars on the streets is critical.

The Chariot service costs $4 per ride, with no surge pricing. Riders are guaranteed a seat. And since this is a sustainable mass transit option, it qualifies for TransitChek reimbursement.

And, just to reinforce the idea that Chariot is needed: on my way to the launch meeting, my subway inexplicably stopped moving for a good 17 minutes. I would love to ditch the Metrocard.

Driving Me Crazy: My Daughter's Song Choices

U2 on Sirius XM!

It's funny how quickly you get used to something that you never knew existed. WiFi in the car? Great when we drove a Chevy Silverado but then we missed it in the otherwise luxe Kia K900.

So we were shocked - shocked - when the tricked out Ford Expedition we took on a road trip didn't have Sirius XM. Oh, it had the preview stations, but I like to listen to my 70s & 80s Next Wave station. Elvis Costello, The Kinks, Joe Jackson...

We listened to a few radio stations, but the commercials are so annoying and the reception was spotty. Then we plugged my daughter's iPhone in and she controlled the tunes.

I don't know how it happened that we raised a kid in the city and she likes country music. Not exclusively - she also likes pop, Bruce Springsteen and U2. But she's on this country music kick right now.

I guess it's preferable to her addiction to Music Together as a toddler, or her obsession with Broadway show tunes, ages 3-11. And I like Broadway music, just not the pained moaning when my husband sings along.

This was one of our last trips with our teen daughter - we were returning to a college for admitted students day, and soon we will be driving an empty car to visit her. So I guess listening to country music for a few hours is a small price to pay.