In a surprise move, Ford Motor Co. today announced it will shut down its commuter shuttle service Chariot because the business isn’t sustainable.

The closure will take place on different dates in different locations. The London Chariot service will close Jan. 25, its New York and San Francisco services on Feb. 1 and its enterprise business, which includes routes in Austin, Chicago, Denver, Detroit and Seattle, will start to close in early March.

Acquired by Ford for $65 million in September 2016, Chariot offered a hybrid model of on-demand rides and bus services. The company’s vans shuttled commuters from outer neighborhoods to downtown areas and financial districts with users able to book a pickup. The pitch from Day One was a more affordable alternative to ride-hailing apps as well as more convenience than catching public transport.

Despite having shuttled 3 million commuters during its existence, the business model was not sustainable, Ford said.

“In today’s mobility landscape, the wants and needs of customers and cities are changing rapidly,” Chariot Chief Executive Officer Dan Grossman said in a statement. “As those changes continue, it has become clear that the mobility services delivered by Chariot over the past five years will not be a sustainable solution going forward. We are committed to ensuring our customers are aware of the decision and have time to make alternative transportation arrangements.”

The move comes as a surprise since Ford had previously said the service was a key part of its push into mobility and technology via the Ford Smart Mobility group. Speaking to SiliconANGLE’s theCUBE in 2016, Ken Washington, vice president of research and advanced engineering at Ford, said Chariot was the cornerstone of the company’s new global shuttle services business and part of an effort to help solve traffic congestion.

Photo: Chariot