Ford has recently purchased San Francisco-based ride service, Chariot. The company acts like a cross between Uber and a shuttle service.
Ford has made a number of vans specifically for the service and has plans to launch its offering in 5 other cities within the next 18 months. It uses a smartphone app to crowd-source rides on demand.
Ford is also partnering with Motivate, a firm that facilitates bike sharing. Ford has no plans to manufacture bicycles but has developed an app that allows users to find bikes within their city.
Big automakers are feeling the pinch as people dwelling in cities are turning away from vehicle ownership and toward solutions like Lyft and Uber.
Because of this, Ford and other automakers worry about being displaced by ride-hail services. Other automakers looking to diversify and to consider implementing other alternative transportation solutions include Volkswagen and Toyota.