Via Transportation, Inc. is a technology company that provides software as a service (SaaS) and operations to improve public transportation networks for cities, transit agencies, schools and universities, healthcare providers, and corporations around the world. Via offers fully managed transit services as well as transportation planning tools, consulting services, operational support, and navigation.[1][2][3][4]
Via focuses on making transportation more equitable and accessible for all populations including paratransit riders, school-aged children, elderly populations, and low income riders.
The company defined the TransitTech category and is the global leader in on-demand microtransit services that fit into a city’s existing transportation system.[12][13][14]
Daniel Ramot and Oren Shoval co-founded Via in 2012.[15] The company began as a ridesharing service on New York's Upper East Side before expanding citywide.[16][17][18][19][20] Commuters could book a shared ride for $5. Eventually the consumer business expanded to Washington D.C., Chicago, London, and Amsterdam.[21][22][23][24][25]
In 2017, the company began offering its software and operational support to municipalities and transit agencies. Partners could buy Via’s software to use as their own white labeled transportation service, or they could have Via handle operations as well, including vehicle fleets, drivers, and on-the-ground management and support staff.[26][27]
In March 2018, the city of Arlington, Texas, hired Via to operate 10 on-demand vans as shuttles as replacements for buses.[28][29] Taxpayers spent $922,500 on the effort in its first year.[30][31] In 2023, it expanded into neighboring Tarrant County.[32][33] The program, which remains Arlington's only government-subsidized transportation service, is also one of the first examples of a public transit system that integrates on-demand autonomous vehicles.[34]
In 2021, Region Hannover in Hannover, Germany, contracted with Via to launch Sprinti. In December 2023, the service served more than 360,000 residents and received the German Mobility Award .[37][38]
In 2022, Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe in Berlin, Germany, hired Via to introduce BVG Muva, an on-demand public transport service with two use cases: to connect riders to public transportation in an underserved area, and to connect passengers with limited mobility to public transit stations with functional elevators. These services open Berlinpublic transport hubs to passengers who need barrier-free transportation.[39]
In November 2023, Via announced that public transport companies in Germany would pay it to take over the operations of 10 on-demand public transport services formerly operated by CleverShuttle.[40]
Transport for London hired Via to provide software and operations for demand-responsive buses in Sutton, London. Originally a 1-year contract, Via received a 3-year license renewal after the program handled more than 7 million rides in London, saving 3 million vehicle kilometers by pooling passengers into shared vehicles, and saving more than 600,000 kilograms of CO2.[8][43][44][45][46][47][48][49]
In October 2020, the Miami-Dade Department of Public Works hired Via to launch GO Connect, an on-demand transit program designed to improve transit connections in the Miami suburbs of Dadeland, Kendall, and Cutler Bay. In November 2023, GO Connect was renamed Metro Connect; its coverage zone was doubled to serve more residents as part of Miami-Dade County’s “Better Bus Network” plan; As of 2024, it serves 10 areas.[50][51]
In April 2019, Via launched service in King County Metro with Sound Transit and the City of Seattle, providing service to five Sound Transit Link light rail stations: Mount Baker, Columbia City, Othello, Rainier Beach, and Tukwila International Boulevard.[52][53] In March 2023, King County Metro announced that Via would take over operations and software for the agency’s on-demand transit programs.[7] More than 32 percent of Metro’s on-demand rides are taken by customers enrolled in reduced-fare programs.[54]
Microtransit is tech-enabled shared transportation where routing algorithms use real-time, on-the-ground information to group passengers into shared rides. Routes are dynamic; “schedules” shift based on rider demand; and vehicles range in size from vans to shuttles, or buses, depending on what’s needed for the system.[56]
Paratransit is accessible, door-to-door transportation for people with disabilities, typically delivered by vans or minibuses. In the United States, the ADA mandates that paratransit is offered within ¾ miles of any fixed-route bus line or train station.[57] Via’s paratransit software can improve paratransit for both riders and operators by increasing on-time performance, reducing reliance on manual scheduling, and lowering overall cost-per-trip.[58]
Via created a fully integrated and customizable software suite for student transportation, with route planning, a central operations console for administrators, and applications for caregivers, drivers, and educators. The software includes features like real-time bus tracking, continuously updated ETAs, and configurable alerts to help track users.[59]
In 2021, Via acquired Remix, which had built a suite of transit planning tools used by transit agencies across the United States and internationally.[60] The Remix suite now includes tools for fixed-route service planning, on-demand microtransit planning, fixed-route scheduling and rostering, and street planning.[61]
Via has an in-house consulting practice, Via Strategies, that specializes in transit planning for tech-enabled and multimodal transit networks. Via Strategies works with city governments, transit agencies, state departments of transportation, and other transit clients on bus network redesigns, feasibility studies, and microtransit planning.[62]
Via’s software supports non-emergency medical transportation, often with the same fleet of vehicles already in use for paratransit or microtransit services. Clients are transit agencies, city governments, and hospital systems.[64]
In 2023, Via acquired Citymapper, a journey-planning app with more than 50 million users in more than 400 cities. Via and Citymapper have worked with municipal governments and transit agencies to adapt the app to fit local needs, with city branding, disruption messaging, and in the case of the 2024 Paris Olympics, specialized routing for event management.[65][66][67]
In May 2016, the company raised $100 million in Series C financing.[68]
In November 2021, Via raised $130 million in a Series G round of financing at a $3.3 billion valuation. Investors included Janus Henderson, BlackRock, ION, and Koch Disruptive Technologies.[69][70]
In February 2023, the company raised $110 million at a $3.5 billion valuation. Investors included 83North, Exor N.V., Pitango, Janus Henderson, CF Private Equity, Planven Entrepreneur Ventures, Riverpark Ventures, and ION Crossover Partners.[71][72][73][74][75][76][77]
In October 2020, Via acquired Fleetonomy, an Israeli startup and logistics company.[78][79][80][81]
In March 2021, Via acquired Remix, a collaborative transportation planning platform for transportation service planners, allowing users to visualize transit data and analyze community and cost impacts of new designs to assess tradeoffs of service planning decisions. In November 2021, Via announced On-demand Planning within the Remix platform.[3][82][83][84]
In March 2023, Via acquired Citymapper and integrated it into its TransitTech platform, enabling the company to connect all elements of a transport system and to offer a unified journey planning experience.[85][86][87]
In September 2017, Via formed ViaVan in a joint venture with Mercedes-Benz for on-demand shuttle services in Europe. This joint venture was dissolved with full ownership returning to Via in January 2021.[88]
Via launched its first operations in March 2018 in Amsterdam.[89]
In December 2017, Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) and Mercedes-Benz Vans hired Via to establish BerlKönig, the largest public-sector on-demand transit deployment in the world with 300 vehicles.[90][91]
In April 2019, Via and Arriva launched the third deployment of ArrivaClick in the Drummond Estate development in Leicester, England, one of the largest new housing developments in the East Midlands.[93][94]
On June 28, 2019, Via completed the pilot phase of an on-demand corporate shuttle at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Bremen, with plans to expand the program to other Mercedes-Benz plants.[95]
In July 2019, Via and Debono Group launched Cool, Malta's first ridesharing service, covering 28 Maltese neighborhoods at launch.[96]
In August 2019, Via announced BerlKönig BC, a public transportation deployment on behalf of Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) connecting to U-Bahn railway stations in Brandenburg traditionally underserved by fixed route services.[97][98][99]
In January 2021, Via began powering SSB Flex, the on-demand public transport service in Stuttgart.[121]
In July 2021, the German Federal Ministry of Transport hired Via to launch KEXI Kelheim, a service in Kelheim.[122]
In 2021, The State of Berlin hired Via to introduce BerlMobil in Berlin, Germany, as a special transport service for people with disabilities.[123] The service serves up to 25,000 residents in Berlin.[124]
In 2021, Via launched MK Connect, a demand-responsive transport service, with Milton Keynes Council in the United Kingdom.[125] In 2023, MK Connect won the national CiTTi Award as a “Best Public Transport Service” in the UK.[126]
In late 2021, Arriva launched the Vlinder demand-responsive transport program in the Zutphen area of the Netherlands, with Via as the software provider.[127] In October 2023, Arriva reported that Vlinder was running an average of 16% faster than bus lines and offered an important response to some of the unpredictable travel patterns that emerged since the COVID-19 pandemic.[128]
In 2023, the West of England Combined Authority in the United Kingdom hired Via to introduce WestLink, an on-demand public transport service funded by a £3m Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) grant awarded to the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority (WECA) and North Somerset council. WestLink serves remote areas previously devoid of conventional bus services and at the time of launch, was one of the largest services of its kind in the UK, particularly by geographical scale.[130][131]
In 2023, Italian private public transport operator Autoguidovie and Via announced a partnership to offer more flexible travel experiences to passengers with five new on-demand public transport services in the areas of Crema, Pavia, Stradella, and Varzi.[132]
In July 2023, Transport for London in the United Kingdom paid to use Via's software to run the authority’s Dial-a-Ride service. Expected to launch in 2024, Transport for London plans to increase the quality of service and passenger experience and to expand Dial-a-Ride’s reach beyond the 30,000 passengers it already serves.[133]
In November 2017, the city of West Sacramento hired Via to deploy a fleet of Mercedes-Benz vans as on-demand public transportation.[134] The City of West Sacramento has since expanded the service.[135][136][137][138]
Also in May 2019, Via announced a partnership with the Washington, D.C. Department of Public Works to offer rides to District employees.[144]
On June 25, 2019, Via launched Pickup, an on-demand public transportation network, in Austin, Texas, in partnership with Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority. It replaced former MetroBus Route 470 in Manor, Texas, just outside of Austin. It was expanded in September 2019 to serve four other areas in Austin included in the MetroLink pilot program.[145][146][147]
Also in June 2019, Via launched an on-demand network called Ride on Flex in partnership with the Montgomery County, Maryland Department of Transportation.[148][149] The service was another deployment in the Washington, D.C., area, linking residents in Montgomery County to the Washington Metro.[150]
In July 2019, Via launched its first on-demand service specifically designed for senior citizens who need rides to medical appointments, called Newton in Motion, or NewMo, in Newton, Massachusetts.[151][152][153][154][155]
Also in July 2019, Via announced a partnership with Hampton Jitney to offer flat-rate Via airport transfers and discounted rides to Hampton Jitney stops in Manhattan.[156]
On August 21, 2019, Via launched "Via for Schools", the first integrated, automated school bus routing, tracking, and communication platform in the world, after winning a contract with the New York City Department of Education, the largest school district in the United States.[160][161][162] It gives parents and students the ability to track, in real-time, bus locations and receive notifications of service changes.[163][164][160][161][162]
In September 2019, Via announced it was selected by Northeastern University to power "RedEye," its campus shuttle, making it one of the first universities in North America to integrate ride hailing technology into its campus shuttle system.[165][166][167] Later that month, Via announced a new partnership with Northwestern University, making it the third major university to use Via's technology to develop on-demand student shuttles following Harvard and Northeastern University.[168]
In October 2019, the City of Cupertino, California, announced that it chose Via to develop a new on-demand public transportation system, providing more efficient connections to Caltrain and increasing access to public transit across the city.[173] Cupertino, with a population of 60,000 residents, increases in population to approximately 150,000 people on weekdays as a result of a huge influx of commuters. Most of these commuters work for the city's largest employer Apple Inc., whose Apple Park campus has more than 11,000 parking spaces, with parking occupying more square footage than the building itself.[174] In December 2023, Via Cupertino was awarded a $8.5 million California State Transportation Authority grant to expand into nearby Santa Clara and fully electrify its vehicle fleet.[175]
In November 2019, Via partnered with the District of Columbia Mayor's Office for Veterans Affairs (MOVA) and the Department of For-Hire Vehicles (DFHV) to launch VetsRide, an on-demand shared ride program that provides veterans with access to free transportation to medical, educational, employment, and other opportunities.[176][177]
In November 2019, Via partnered with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) and announced a pilot program to launch LGA Connect, a flat-rate shared ride service from LaGuardia Airport to all five New York City boroughs.[178][179] The deal was the first of Via's partnerships with airports to reduce private vehicle trips by offering congestion-reducing, convenient and affordable shared rides as part of public transit.[180][181]
In September 2020, Via partnered with The City of Wilson, North Carolina to launch RIDE, a city-wide on-demand transit solution designed to replace the city’s underperforming bus routes.[187] The program has since won national awards and additional grants, including the American Association of State Highway Transportation Official's Innovation Initiative, which champions technologies that yield significant economic benefits to transit users.[188]
In March 2021, Via partnered with Southeast Michigan-based transportation provider SMART to introduce the first on-demand transit program in the Detroit area, known as SMART Flex.[190] In September 2023, the City of Dearborn announced its decision to subsidize the program to cost only $1, made possible thanks to grant awards.[191]
In April 2022, Via launched an all-electric vehicle on-demand public transport service in Richmond, California.[193] Via helped fill transportation gaps in inner-city Richmond, introducing an electric vehicle fleet so riders could get around and connect to other public transit such as the BART light rail, Amtrak, and the boat ferry service that connects Richmond to San Francisco.[77]
In April 2024, Via expanded the SCT On Demand network with the new East Hampton/Montauk On Demand Zone that replaced bus routes 10B and 10C, initially supposed to launch in October 2023 but was delayed due to a vehicle recall. The new zone is operated under contract by Hampton Jitney Under Suffolk County Transit.[192]
At the end of August 2019, Via announced a partnership with the city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, marking the company's second deployment in Canada and first in Ontario. The service "Sault Ste. Marie On-Demand" launched in September 2019 and utilizes the city's existing bus fleet.[195][196][197][198]
In 2020, Via partnered with Niagara Regional Transit to introduce NRT On Demand. At its three-year mark in September 2023, the service had provided more than 241,000 rides, with a survey showing that 70 percent of passengers use NRT On Demand most of the time or sometimes to connect with the region’s other forms of public transit.[199]
In 2021, Via partnered with the City of Edmonton to launch the Edmonton On-Demand Transit, the largest on-demand public transit service in Canada. The service is available in 37 neighborhoods and for 16 seniors residences more than 600 meters away from the nearest bus stop, filling gaps in Edmonton’s existing bus network.[200]
Also in November 2017, Via launched Savy, an app using its on-demand ride-sharing technology and a fleet of vehicles owned by the company, in Queenstown, New Zealand.[201]
In January 2018, the company partnered with Keolis Downer to launch The Newcastle Transport On Demand App in Australia using Via's on-demand shared rides as part of Newcastle Transport's bus and ferry network.[202] In March 2018, the partnership, called Keoride, expanded to include Macquarie Park, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney.[203] In October 2019, the service zone expanded again to give inner-city residents a new option to reach key central business district locations, and to connect with other modes of transport such as the Newcastle Interchange, light rail, existing bus services and Broadmeadow railway station.[204]
In November 2018, Via launched AT Local, an all-electric vehicle service to transport passengers to/from the Devonport, Bayswater and Stanley Bay ferry terminals in partnership with Auckland Transport and Go Bus.[205]
In May 2019, Via partnered with Australia’s Transport for New South Wales and Busways to launch Cooee Busways, an on-demand transport program for residents of the western Sydney suburbs.[206] The program reached half a million passengers in November 2023.[207]
In June 2019, Via expanded in Australia by launching "Cooee" in The Ponds and Schofields, two suburbs of Sydney to connect people to the Sydney Metro.[208] In September 2019, the company reported residents took more than 20,000 rides on the Cooee service in less than three months, saving more than 21,000 vehicle kilometers by sharing a ride compared to driving a private vehicle, and saving nearly five metric tons of CO2 vehicle emissions.[209] Cooee was also Australia's first demand-responsive transportation provider to fully integrate with Opal Connect, a new account-based ticketing system by Transport for NSW.[210]
In November 2019, New Zealand’s Canterbury Regional Council announced its partnership with Via to launch MyWay by Metro, an on-demand transport program in Timaru.[211] As of May 2023, Canterbury Regional Council reported strong growth and increasing demand for the program.[212]
At the end of November 2019, Via and Environment Canterbury announced a partnership to overhaul public transportation in Timaru, New Zealand, replacing fixed-route transportation with on-demand, dynamically routed transit starting in early 2020.[213][214]
In February 2018, Singapore's Land Transport Authority awarded a contract to Via in collaboration with the Ministry of Movement to run a trial of on-demand buses.[215] The six-month trial called BusGo launched in December 2018, receiving positive public response.[216]
In July 2018, Via partnered with Mori Building Company to launch HillsVia, an on-demand shared transportation network for the company's employees in Tokyo. The service was Via's first venture in Japan, and first corporate shuttle network.[217][218][219] In September 2019, Via announced BlueVia, an on-demand shuttle network in cooperation with Nihon Kotsu, one of the largest taxi and limousine operators in Japan. BlueVia allows Itochu employees in Tokyo to hail a ride on-demand during their daily commutes and between meetings.[220][221]
In April 2019, Via and Digiasia Bios launched TRON, an on-demand transit network in Bekasi, Indonesia. Teknologi Rancang Olah Nusantara, the service aimed to reinvigorate declining use of Angkot in Indonesia.[222][223]
Also in April 2019, Itochu announced an investment in Via’s Japanese subsidiary.[224][225]
In September 2019, Via Japan announced BlueVia in Tokyo.[221] The on-demand shuttle network is in cooperation with Nihon Kotsu, one of the largest taxi and limousine operators in Japan. BlueVia allows Itochu employees to hail a ride on-demand during their daily commutes and between meetings.[220]
In February 2019, Via announced the first deployment of its technology in South America, deploying CityBus 2.0 in Goiânia, Brazil in partnership with local public transit operator HP Transportes Coletivos. The CityBus 2.0 was the first on-demand shuttle system operated by a public transit operator in Latin America.[229][230][231] In July 2019, CityBus 2.0 expanded to 13 new neighborhoods in Goiânia.[232]
In December 2019, Via partnered with Brazilian transit operator Sindiônibus to launch TopBus+ in Fortaleza, making it Via's second on-demand public transportation network in Brazil.[233][234]
In January 2019, at the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Via debuted its autonomous vehicle technology alongside Aurrigo, Comet Mobility and an AI technology provider. Via's autonomous technology is strongly influenced by the company's history in ridesharing, with multiple passengers using a self-driven vehicle. The demonstration worked by booking a PodZero using the Via app. Via's autonomous vehicle technology can book and route the autonomous vehicles on-demand, provide customers with a vehicle location and ETA, and use its Augmented Reality (AR) functionality for easy identification.[235][236]
On July 11, 2019, Via announced BusBot, its first public autonomous vehicle deployment.[237] The driverless vehicle began serving residents at an Australian retirement community in Toormina, a suburb of Coffs Harbour.[238] Via partnered with local bus operator Busways, Transport for NSW, and technology provider EasyMile to operate BusBot. The deployment marks the second phase of BusBot's pilot program, with plans to operate in the community for 22 weeks, giving Via and its partners time to test increasingly advanced AV elements.[239][9]
Via partnered with local bus operator Busways, Transport for NSW, and technology provider EasyMile to operate BusBot. The deployment marks the second phase of BusBot's pilot program, with plans to operate in the community for 22 weeks, giving Via and its partners time to test increasingly advanced AV elements.[239][9]
In October 2019, Via unveiled BotRide, a shared, on-demand, autonomous vehicle service operating on public roads.[240][241] BotRide launched in partnership with Hyundai Motor Company and Chinese autonomous startup Pony.ai. The free pilot project began service on November 4, 2019, in Irvine, California, with a fleet of self-driving Hyundai Kona Electric SUVs, hailed and directed using the Via-powered BotRide mobile application.[242][243]
In November 2020, in partnership with Via, Arriva UK Bus launched ArrivaClick, an on-demand public transport mobile app, in Kent.[244]
In 2021, Via partnered with May Mobility to launch autonomous vehicle services in three cities. In August 2021, it launched RAPID, an autonomous vehicle public transportation deployment in Arlington, Texas, covering Downtown Arlington and the University of Texas at Arlington campus. Via and May Mobility launched similar services in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in August and Ann Arbor, Michigan, in October.[245][246] In September 2022, Via and May Mobility launched a wheelchair-accessible autonomous shuttle service in Grand Rapids, Minnesota.[247]
In February 2022, it launched a free robotaxi service in Las Vegas in partnership with Motional.[248]
^BRECHT, MICHAEL (March 7, 2018). "ViaVan startet in Amsterdam mit Ridepooling" [ViaVan launches ridepooling in Amsterdam]. E-Mobilität – Blog (in German). Archived from the original on July 26, 2023. Retrieved July 26, 2023.