Bridj, local on-demand bus service, is shutting down
Bridj, a Boston startup that tried to merge the ease of hailing an Uber with the efficiency of commuter vans, abruptly shut down this weekend after funding talks fell apart, leaving thousands of riders looking for another way to get to work. The company, which had been praised for its innovative take on urban transportation, had been in extended negotiations with a car manufacturer, chief executive Matthew George told The Boston Globe on Sunday.
“It went from clear skies to a hurricane in about 24 hours,” George said, declining to name the carmaker. “Functionally, Bridj is no more.” Bridj was launched in 2014, with ambitions to reinvent the old-school city bus. Instead of lumbering coaches, the company used sleek commuter vans equipped with wireless Internet access to ferry commuters around the Boston area.
Routes were determined, in part, by the amount of demand in a given area from users of Bridj’s smartphone app. Fares were based on demand, ranging between $1.50 and $7, according to its website.
Despite early signs of promise, including a recent one-year project with Ford Motor Co. and transit officials in Kansas City, Mo., Bridj was unable to build a sustainable business. The Kansas City test was not extended. George said that financing from the car company would have given Bridj a big vote of confidence among investors and helped it to raise additional money. Bridj has about 50 employees and had raised $11 million from investors.
“Both sides had every expectation that the transaction would close. Despite assurances, and all parties acting in the best of faith, that didn’t happen,” he wrote in a blog post announcing the shutdown.
Boston was Bridj’s largest market, with as many as 50 vehicles operating at a time. In Boston, Bridj served Allston, Brighton, the Back Bay, downtown, South Boston, and the Seaport, along with Kendall Square in Cambridge and Brookline.
Bridj’s farewell page: http://www.bridj.com/welcome#new-page
- Bridj shut down last weekend after talks with a car manufacturer failed.
