IAA 2017: Ford expands bike sharing with the railway

Ford-Werke GmbH and Deutsche Bahn Connect GmbH, a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn AG, have announced an intensification of their collaboration in the area of bikesharing. Starting October 15th, a total of 3,200 bicycles under the name FordPass Bikes will be available to customers of the Call a Bike bicycle rental system in the city centers of Cologne and Düsseldorf. This makes the US corporation the first automobile manufacturer to participate in a bikesharing offer in Europe.

"With the ambition to develop into a mobility provider, we started with Ford Carsharing four years ago,"

explained Wolfgang Kopplin, Deputy Chairman of the Management Board of Ford-Werke GmbH. The bikesharing offer is now another step to add an emission-free component to urban individual transport.

"The bicycle as a means of transport and the sharing trend will continue to gain importance in the future. With the new offer in Düsseldorf and Cologne, we are providing our customers with an even larger and particularly environmentally friendly part of public transportation,"

explained Sylvia Lier, Chairwoman of the Management Board of Deutsche Bahn Connect, the unusual move.

In the new offering, Deutsche Bahn Connect will take on the role of system operator and assist customers. Booking will be done via the Call a Bike app. Ford will be the namesake of the new bicycle rental system and will shape the design of the entirely new bike fleet, the car manufacturer announced.