Over the past several weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to look back on the four years since launching Chariot and how exciting, thrilling and rewarding it has been. What started as an answer to a personal frustration with my own daily commute has grown into a service improving the daily lives of thousands of people and making a positive impact on local communities. I couldn’t have imagined we would have grown to over 100 routes in six cities today when I rented those first four vans in 2014.
That is why now feels like the right time for me to step aside from the day-to-day operations of Chariot to move on to my next adventure as an entrepreneur. While it’s unthinkably hard to leave this team and the daily work we’re doing to deliver our mission worldwide, I know we have built an incredibly capable organization that is ready to take it to the next level with the support of our parent company. As for me, I’m really looking forward to finding my next inspiration and creating something once again from scratch.
I will remain in my role as a director on the Chariot Board, and will provide consulting services to Chariot. I look forward to helping our team do amazing things for our riders, drivers and the communities we’re a part of. As the Company works to find my replacement, Dan Grossman, who leads Microtransit for Ford Smart Mobility, will step into the CEO role in the interim.
Thank you for supporting Chariot since day one. I will see you all on the road…
Ali Vahabzadeh
Co-founder, Chariot