In November 2017, Chariot said it hoped to launch a public, bus-like commuting service in Seattle in the first quarter of 2018. Its founder forecast around 100,000 riders by 2019 and predicted some electrification by that year. Those were plans, not confirmed results: available reports do not establish that the citywide service launched as proposed, that it reached the ridership target, or that Chariot electrified its Seattle fleet. Chariot announced it was shutting down in January 2019.
What Chariot proposed for Seattle
GeekWire reported on November 21, 2017, that Chariot hoped to roll out a public Seattle commuting service in the first quarter of 2018. Unlike a taxi or a door-to-door shuttle, the proposed product was described as bus-like, with set routes and designated stops. Riders would finance the public service.
That plan followed Chariot’s launch of a separate Seattle enterprise shuttle service in summer 2017. Employers arranged custom transportation for employees, including trips from home or transit stations. GeekWire described the enterprise vehicles as 14-seat Ford Transit Wagons. The company’s founder, Ali Vahabzadeh, said nine out of 10 enterprise customers were willing to let non-employees share a Chariot on the same route; that was his estimate of customer willingness, not a measured ridership figure.
Vahabzadeh told GeekWire, “Seattle has the potential to be Chariot’s most successful market.” He forecast around 100,000 commuters by 2019. The figure was an expectation reported in 2017, not a verified count.
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How the proposed service differed from Seattle’s other Chariot shuttles
| Service | Who arranged or paid | Routing | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proposed public commuter service | Rider-financed, according to GeekWire’s 2017 report | Set routes and designated stops | Public commuting service |
| Seattle enterprise shuttle | Arranged by employers | Custom routes | Employee transportation, including trips from home or transit stations |
| Eastgate Ride2 pilot | App-requested shuttle; payment details not stated in GeekWire’s 2018 report | Service in a defined area around Eastgate Park-and-Ride | Connect riders to the park-and-ride and onward transit |
The distinctions matter when asking whether “Chariot launched in Seattle.” GeekWire documented a geographically limited micro-shuttle pilot around Eastgate Park-and-Ride in 2018. Riders could request trips through an app. That pilot was a transit connector; it does not establish that the broader fixed-route public commuter service announced in 2017 launched citywide.
Were the 100,000-rider and electrification targets achieved?
The sources available do not verify that Chariot reached its projected 100,000 commuters by 2019. Nor do they document that Chariot electrified its Seattle vehicles before shutting down.
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GeekWire quoted Vahabzadeh’s prediction: “I’m going to make a bold prediction that by 2019 — you heard it here first — that you’re going to see some form of electrification on Chariots.” He described a future expectation, with an entirely electric fleet as a longer-term aspiration; it was not confirmation of an electrification rollout.
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s April 2018 Emerging Mobility Evaluation Report noted that microtransit service representatives had committed to an electric fleet by 2019. It also said additional analysis was needed to evaluate microtransit’s net effect on vehicle miles traveled and traffic speeds. That broader context does not prove Chariot fulfilled its specific Seattle prediction.
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When Chariot and the Eastgate pilot ended
On January 10, 2019, TechCrunch reported that Chariot was shutting down. The company said, “In today’s mobility landscape, the wants and needs of customers and cities are changing rapidly.” The report said Chariot’s Seattle enterprise routes were expected to wind down by early March.
The Eastgate service had a separate timeline. Seattle Transit Blog reported in February 2019 that the service changed from Chariot to Hopelink. In December 2019, the blog reported that the Eastgate and West Seattle Ride2 pilots ended. Those developments describe the bounded transit-connection pilot, not proof of a citywide Chariot commuter launch.
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Seattle Chariot timeline
- Summer 2017: Chariot launched its Seattle enterprise shuttle service, according to GeekWire.
- November 21, 2017: GeekWire reported the company hoped to launch a public, fixed-route commuting service in the first quarter of 2018.
- 2018: GeekWire reported a Chariot micro-shuttle pilot serving a defined area around Eastgate Park-and-Ride.
- January 10, 2019: TechCrunch reported Chariot was shutting down; Seattle enterprise routes were expected to wind down by early March.
- February 2019: Seattle Transit Blog reported the Eastgate service changed from Chariot to Hopelink.
- December 2019: Seattle Transit Blog reported the Eastgate and West Seattle Ride2 pilots ended.
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