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Ford Teams Up with Bridj to Offer On-Demand Bus Service in Kansas City

If taxi drivers are upset with Uber, just wait until bus drivers hear about this new collaboration between Ford and Bridj that seeks to offer Kansas City residents the possibility to hail a bus ride. Only Bridj and Ford will use union drivers who work for the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority, so there won't be any Paris-like protests around here.
Ford mini bus 1 photo
Photo: Ford
If you’re a Boston resident, the city Bridj originates from and where such a scheme has been in place for more than a year, you'll know how things work. The service expanded over to Washington DC as well, and now Kansas City seems to be next in line.

By now you’re probably asking yourself how does this work. The system isn’t all that different from a regular bus service, but there are a few important features that set it apart. Since it’s a Ford Transit van that carries several people, the Bridj service has limited coverage areas, focusing on parts of the cities where there’s a high density of population.

People living in those areas can use a smartphone app to request a ride, after which they’ll be given a pick-up point based on where the user is situated, and an ETA. This means that the commuter won’t have to walk too long to get to a bus stop, and he or she won’t be wasting their time waiting either.

It sounds like some sort of carpooling meets Uber, and that’s almost exactly what it is. It gives people a much more pleasant and convenient alternative to using the regular bus, but a more affordable option to actually using Uber.

Bridj uses only new, well-maintained vans that come with important features like free Wi-Fi for the commuters. Starting this March, Bridj will be expanding into Kansas City, and Ford is the company chosen to supply the required vehicles. Engadget says the Blue Oval will make available ten 14-seater Transit vans for one year, the time period chosen as a pilot. If it proves to be successful, the number of vehicles will undoubtedly grow.

We’re probably witnessing a very important change in the way public transport goes, and the standard bus operators need to open their eyes and realize that they can’t go on without making some important changes in the way their operations work. First, it was the cab drivers, now the bus drivers, and with things like the Hyperloop just around the corner, train mechanics and airplane pilots shouldn’t feel too safe either.
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About the author: Vlad Mitrache
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"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
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