Mercedes-Benz Vans sets up on-demand shuttle service JV with US start-up Via

Mercedes-Benz Vans is investing US$50 million in new joint venture with US start-up Via to bring Via’s on-demand shuttle service, already launched in New York, Chicago and Washington DC, to Europe. The service will launch in London this year. The joint venture will also partner with public transit operators across Europe, licensing Via’s on-demand shuttle operating System to enable cities to significantly improve mobility while reducing congestion without incurring any additional infrastructure costs.
September 6, 2017 Read time: 2 mins

1685 Mercedes-Benz Vans is investing US$50 million in new joint venture with US start-up Via to bring Via’s on-demand shuttle service, already launched in New York, Chicago and Washington DC, to Europe.

The service will launch in London this year. The joint venture will also partner with public transit operators across Europe, licensing Via’s on-demand shuttle operating System to enable cities to significantly improve mobility while reducing congestion without incurring any additional infrastructure costs.

Via has focused on developing, from the ground up, a scalable and on-demand shared ride solution. The intelligent Via algorithm supports smart public transport, enabling a dynamic mass transit system that reduces traffic volume in urban areas. The fusion of Via’s technology with the engineering of Mercedes-Benz Vans provides the basis for efficient, affordable and sustainable ride-sharing.

The long term strategic cooperation aims to design and build vans optimised for on-demand shared rides, including integration of Via’s software with on-board vehicle sensors, electric drive and autonomous driving.

Parking & Access Control

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Intersection management, cooperative infrastructures - what next?
    February 1, 2012
    What do recent vehicle recalls mean for future cooperative infrastructures? Anthony Smith takes a look. As ITS industry stakeholders converge on Amsterdam for the 2010 Cooperative Mobility Showcase, an unprecedentedly wide range of technologies will be on display demonstrating what might be achievable in the future from innovations based on Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) and Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) communications.
    Read More
  • ABB charging technology available in 95% EV countries
    January 24, 2018
    ABB has announced that its charging technology is now available in 95% of the world’s countries with an electric vehicle (EV) presence. It has also confirmed that its sales of DC fast chargers have exceeded 6,500 ranging from 50 kW up to 450kW which also includes high-power chargers for both cars and buses. The technology is designed with the intention of supporting global e-mobility charging standards.
    Read More
  • Via buys Remix for $100m
    March 15, 2021
    Via has acquired mapping specialist Remix to enhance its transport tech capability
    Read More
  • Maintaining momentum: learning lessons from the London Olympics
    November 15, 2013
    Japan will not only host this year’s ITS World Congress but has been selected for the 2020 Olympics. So what can Japan, and indeed Brazil, learn from the traffic management for London 2012 - Geoff Hadwick finds out. It was a key moment when Olympic boss Jacques Rogge signed off London 2012, calling the Games “happy and glorious.” Scarred by the logistical disaster of Atlanta 1996 and the last-minute building panic for Athens 2008, Rogge clearly thought London 2012 was an object lesson in how to plan and
    Read More

Highlighted Content