Ford is moving forward with a shuttle service program that allows users to request a ride via an application, which will arrive soon at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, prompting the start of a collaboration that will focus on improving public transportation. 

In September, the MIT campus will feature a ride-sharing service with which users can request pickup and drop-offs on an electric vehicle small enough to navigate sidewalks. The launch will be the first of many and a part of a bigger push for Ford and MIT working together to discover methods for better public transportation. 

?This research collaboration with MIT further enhances Ford?s Dynamic Shuttle pilot program, which is an on-demand ride-sharing service on our Dearborn, MI campus for employees to use to travel between buildings during the business day,? said Ken Washington, vice president of Research and Advanced Engineering at Ford. ?The convenience of Ford?s Dynamic Shuttle allows people to summon point-to-point rides on-demand. 

?Once a mobile-based ride request is made, the Ford-developed software, including the algorithm that drives the platform?s technical capabilities, immediately determines the shuttle best suited to address the request without extending the travel time of riders already aboard,? he said. ?It then sends the rider an offer detailing proposed pick-up time and maximum duration of the trip, which the requester can accept or decline. 

?If accepted, the request is dispatched to the shuttle driver?s navigation interface, along with the most efficient route to complete the requests of all riders in the timeliest manner. We continue to evolve the software experience for Dynamic Shuttle, working with our partner Pivotal, hoping to further expand the pilot program.?

 

The new MIT shuttles leverage the same database and technology as Ford?s Dynamic Shuttle on its Dearborn, Michigan facility. However, MIT?s shuttles will feature innovative vehicles that do not run on gas and can fit on sidewalks, which better suits the campus. 


Ford's dynamic shuttle service on its campus

Ford originally piloted the on-demand ride-sharing service that uses smart ride-hailing technology and customized shuttles as part of a bigger initiative to develop innovative and disruptive ideas for diminishing traffic congestion and making public transit more convenient (see more).



Ford's shuttle service app

A group of students and faculty will be able to use the service come September. Users can hail a ride by requesting pickup through an app and selecting a drop-off point. 

The shuttle service is leveraging LiDAR technology, which has been working to determine where shuttle should be located to anticipate pickups to reduce waiting times. The data will also determine what routes to take based on foot traffic and weather conditions. 

MIT?s shuttles will travel on nearby roads, school campus streets and sidewalks to get riders to their destination. 

?When Ford and MIT researchers introduce the on-demand electric shuttle service this September, a group of students and faculty will be able to easily request shuttle rides via a mobile application,? Mr. Washington said. ?After requesting the shuttles through the smartphone app, they will not be waiting long for their ride to arrive and drop them off at their destination on campus.?