Chariot, a commuter shuttle service that offers rides in 14-passenger vans, is starting operations in Columbus on Monday. Launched in San Francisco in 2014 and acquired by Ford in 2016, the startup currently operates in New York, Seattle, Austin and San Antonio.
The initial service in Columbus will include six private routes offering rush hour rides to and from the JPMorgan Chase corporate headquarters, at 1111 Polaris Parkway. Chariot routes in other cities include a mix of private routes serving specific employers and crowdsourced ones, submitted by individuals, that are open to the public.
The news comes as a locally-based startup offering a similar service is preparing to ramp up its operations in Columbus.(Click here to read more about the company and its plans, which will initially focus on underserved communities, on The Metropreneur.)
A press release described the Chariot launch as a new transportation benefit for employees of JPMorgan Chase, the largest corporate employer in the region. A spokesperson clarified that the first 20 round-trip rides will be provided free, but after that employees would have to pay $4 per roundtrip, or $2 for a one-way trip.
“Chariot offers us a great opportunity to relieve traffic congestion, address the parking demand on our campus, and to support Smart Columbus,” said Corrine Burger of JPMorgan Chase, in the release. “Chariot’s service nicely complements our own ride-sharing programs and the public transit options already available to our employees from Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA).”
The routes, which could serve as many as 400 employees, were chosen based on an analysis of the workers’ residential zip codes. They include two that will serve the central city, one making stops along High Street and another along Fifth Avenue. Other lines will serve Worthington, Powell and Westerville, although the exact routes and stop locations were not provided.
A spokesperson said that most of the stops along the route will be located at street corners, and that they do not utilize existing COTA stops.
The new program is being touted as a way to reduce the number of single occupant vehicles on the road, one of the goals of the Smart Columbus initiative.
“The introduction of Chariot and CMAX, COTA’s first bus rapid transit line, align with our region’s ongoing transformation to become the model for connected cities of the future,” said Alex Fischer, President and CEO of the Columbus Partnership and co-chair of Smart Columbus. “We are grateful for JPMorgan Chase’s leadership in bringing Chariot to the Columbus market, and are optimistic that the service will grow with other customers in the coming months, creating improved access to jobs for residents across our region.”
