The GoDrive pay-per-minute London-based car sharing service is to close at the end of the month.
Ford launched GoDrive at the end of May 2015 following a successful pilot scheme with 100 registered members accessing electric Ford Focus or Ford Fiesta EcoBoost models from secure parking hubs near major public transport locations, such as Waterloo and Victoria railway stations. The scheme was extended to 2,000 members with 50 cars across 20 locations that customers could book and access via a smartphone app.
The first service of its kind to offer one-way trips with guaranteed parking, GoDrive had started life as one of more than 25 experiments that formed ‘Ford Smart Mobility’, Ford’s plan to use technology and innovation to take the company to the next level in connectivity, mobility, autonomous vehicles, the customer experience and big data.
An email to customers stated that the GoDrive service will cease to operate from 12pm on October 31, 2016.
It went on to say, “GoDrive has given us insights into the best ways to address the mobility and transportation challenges in London and beyond. Your participation and feedback will help us develop new solutions to our collective transportation challenges.”
Any existing rentals must be returned by 1pm on October 31 to avoid any risk of vehicles being immobilised.