U.S ride-sharing service, Via, to launch in London this year

With investment from Mercedes-Benz Vans (the van division of Daimler AG), Via, the U.S ride-sharing service will soon be introduced in Europe, and London will be the first city in Europe to receive the service.

Via has focused on developing, from the ground up, a scalable and on-demand shared ride solution and its intelligent algorithm supports smart public transport, enabling a dynamic mass transit system that reduces traffic volume in urban areas. Headquartered in New York, Via’s successful shared ride service in New York, Chicago, and Washington D.C. provides over one million rides per month.

As part of the new cooperation between Via and Mercedes-Benz Vans, the latter is investing 50 million US dollars in the joint venture.

“On-demand ride-sharing offers many new ways of making city traffic efficient, needs-based and sustainable – especially when it involves the use of spacious, safe and comfortable vans,” said Volker Mornhinweg, Head of Mercedes-Benz Vans. “Via is one of the most successful providers in the growing ride-sharing sector while Mercedes-Benz Vans has the perfect vehicles that are being continuously optimised for this job. By deepening our cooperation with Via, we are thus taking the next logical step in the context of our strategy for the future and are expanding our range of new mobility services.”

With Via’s intelligent shared rides, passengers headed in the same direction are matched with a single van, which will help to relieve the strain on inner-city roads. London will be the first city to launch the new joint service this year and other European metropolises will soon follow.

“We are delighted to have the Daimler Group on board as an investor and strategic partner,” added Daniel Ramot, co-founder and CEO of Via. “Combining Via’s technology with the exceptional design and engineering of Mercedes-Benz Vans is ideal for our vision of offering efficient, affordable, sustainable, and comfortable shared rides everywhere.”

Via works with passengers requesting rides through a mobile app, which finds a vehicle that best matches the passenger’s route, allowing for quick and efficient shared trips without detours that take riders out of their way.