It seems like every day Uber are being faced with news of a new competitor; and today is no different.
Launching GoRide, British car manufacturers, Ford, has announced that they will now go head-to-head with Uber and the likes, offering its very own medical transportation service. Allowing their vehicles to be hired by health care providers, GoRide is eager to accommodate travellers with ‘special transport requirements’.
Following a huge research project, Ford found that the number of appointments being missed as a result of lack of transportation options was abysmal, believing their modified vans to be the answer. Utilised for non-emergency appointments, the Ford transit vans on offer provide a fast, reliable and safe facility for those that are immobile or require a car that can accommodate their wheelchair. As a market that is underrepresented, Ford are making various other additions to their mobility services in order to evolve into a leader within the space. Whilst the division will add huge value to the Ford brand, the company believes now is time for specialist mobility services to be readily available.
“There’s no excuse for the fact that so many people have trouble simply making it to their medical appointments,” said Marion Harris, the person at the helm of Ford’s Mobility services.
“Our service is focused on multiple social determinants of health, and delivers the quality of care and on-time certainty that medical facilities need to increase throughput and reduce wait times” he explains.
Responding to a change in customer behaviour, Ford have reported a decline appetite for car ownership, with flexible rental services being a huge focus for the brand of late. With the non-medical-emergency transportation segment becoming increasingly sought after; was this the right move for Ford?
