Category: Mobility Companies

Via Rides into Virginia with New Arlington County Service

Published October 29, 2018 9:00 am, Via NYC
Via Rides into Virginia with New Arlington County Service

Via, the world’s leading expert in on-demand shared transit, is excited to announce the extension of its DC service to Arlington County, Virginia.

Via first launched in Washington DC in August 2016 to support residents during SafeTrak repair work to the red line. The service has since grown to cover the entire District and has provided more than 1.5 million shared rides to date. The expansion into Arlington will extend Via’s affordable and convenient rides to this vibrant commercial, residential, and historical hub. Via plans to further extend operations to Reagan National Airport in the coming months.

Via’s world-renowned dynamic ride-pooling technology, developed initially for New York City, has powered more than 35 million shared rides globally throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

How it works:

Using the Via app, passengers select their pick up and drop off location and confirm their ride. Via’s smart algorithm enables multiple riders to seamlessly share a single vehicle. The powerful technology directs passengers to a nearby corner – a virtual bus stop – for pick up and drop off, allowing for quick and efficient shared trips without lengthy detours that take riders out of their way. This enables Via’s system to transport a high volume of passengers while using a fraction of the number of vehicles utilized by taxis or on-demand car services. ​By grouping multiple passengers into a single shared vehicle, Via reduces congestion and emissions, providing an inexpensive, eco-friendly, and convenient transportation alternative.

“Via’s powerful technology is seamlessly integrating with public transit infrastructure around the globe, redefining the way people get around cities,” said Daniel Ramot, co-founder and CEO of Via. “We’re delighted to be expanding into Arlington, extending our convenient, affordable, and congestion-reducing service to residents of Virginia.”

About Via

Via is re-engineering public transit, from a regulated system of rigid routes and schedules to a fully dynamic, on-demand network. Via’s mobile app connects multiple passengers who are headed the same way, allowing riders to seamlessly share a premium vehicle. First launched in New York City in September 2013, the Via platform currently operates in the United States, and in Europe through its joint venture with Mercedes-Benz Vans, ViaVan. Via’s technology is also deployed worldwide through partner projects with public transportation agencies, private transit operators, taxi fleets, private companies, and universities, seamlessly integrating with public transit infrastructure to provide the most cutting edge on-demand mobility innovation.

Read more

Grab calls on ASEAN senior transport officials to partner private sector to better serve commuters

Grab urges ASEAN senior transport officials to forge closer public-private partnerships to provide a shared, seamless and smart solution in mobility for Southeast Asia ASEAN Transport Ministers and Senior Officials are holding the 46th ASEAN Senior Transport Officials Meeting and 24th ASEAN Transport Ministers Meeting and Associated Dialogue Partner Meetings in Bangkok, Thailand this week.… Continue reading Grab calls on ASEAN senior transport officials to partner private sector to better serve commuters

A Principled Approach to Safety

A Principled Approach to Safety Written by: Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO At Uber, we believe that technology has the power to ignite opportunity by setting the world in motion. This is why we introduced the original Uber service in 2010. Today, you can get a ride using the Uber app in more than 600 cities across 65… Continue reading A Principled Approach to Safety

Lyft Welcomes Two Executives to Focus on Expanding Services to Drivers

At Lyft, we want to give drivers everything they need to succeed at their goals both on and off the road. We’re furthering that commitment by adding two seasoned executives to the Lyft family. Chris Donus and Rajiv Bhatia join us as Vice President of Express Drive and Head of Driver Product, respectively. Chris and… Continue reading Lyft Welcomes Two Executives to Focus on Expanding Services to Drivers

Peter Minev – Careem’s Director of Engineering

Careem Berlin is home to one of our engineering facilities where a team of over 100 work on developing and improving Careem’s tech capabilities. Careem’s Director of Engineering is Peter Minev…

How did you reach your current position at Careem Berlin?
In 2015 I was simultaneously running engineering teams in Sofia, the Silicon Valley and India. A former colleague of mine from our office in the USA – an extraordinary talent from Stanford – got in touch and said he’d taken a new challenge – to build the entire engineering organisation of Careem. He offered me the opportunity to establish and head the engineering office in Berlin.

The challenge in front of the whole engineering organisation of Careem at that time was that there were a lot of high-quality engineers in the Middle East, but their number was not sufficient for the needs of such a fast-developing technological company. I faced the task to create a big office in a medium, which was new for me.

Why does Careem have an enginee..

Via Selected for On-Demand Public Transport Study in Timaru, New Zealand

Published October 25, 2018 2:19 am, Via NYC
Via Selected for On-Demand Public Transport Study in Timaru, New Zealand
Via has been selected by Environment Canterbury for a feasibility study that will provide a new on-demand public transport service in Timaru, New Zealand. During the research period, Environment Canterbury will collaborate with Via and the Timaru District Council to understand the needs of the community, whose use of existing public transit systems has steadily declined, and create an on-demand solution best suited for the town based on the results.

“We are delighted to join forces with Environment Canterbury and the City of Timaru,” says Daniel Ramot, co-founder and CEO of Via. “We have increasingly seen cities and towns ask how they can provide their residents with public transportation that radically improves the customer experience, and yet still achieves the same benefits of existing public transport. Via’s sophisticated on-demand transit technology is that solution for many cities, and we are excited to take part in this study to demonstrate how on-demand transportation solutions can benefit Timaru.”

For more information on Via’s partnership with Environment Canterbury in Timaru, please visit:

https://www.ecan.govt.nz/get-involved/news-and-events/2018/on-demand-public-transport-research-underway-in-timaru/

Read more

Building a Better App Experience For Carriers

Building a Better App Experience For Carriers New features and upgraded search functionality make it easier than ever to find the right load In an industry where every single load counts, we aim to take the headache and inefficiency out of what is often a complex and time-consuming process. By putting the power of Uber’s technology… Continue reading Building a Better App Experience For Carriers

Careem secures first close of US$500 million investment round

Led by existing investors, including Al Tayyar Group, Kingdom Holding, Rakuten and STV.
US$200 million is the first close of the US$500 million Series F round of investment.
Funds will be used to accelerate the expansion of Careem’s internet platform across the region.

Careem, the leading internet platform for the greater Middle East, has secured US$200 million from existing investors in the first close of a new fundraise expected to exceed US$500 million. Through this funding, Careem will accelerate its mission of simplifying the lives of people in the region by expanding into mass transportation, deliveries, and payments.

Mudassir Sheikha, CEO and co-founder of Careem said: “Internet-enabled services are having a profound and positive impact on our region, where the consumer internet opportunity is huge and untapped. As a platform with 30 million users and presence in 120+ cities, Careem is uniquely positioned to tap into this opportunity by expanding into new verticals. We are del..

Julia Haywood Joins Lyft as VP of Strategy

Lyft’s momentum is going strong as we add another key member to our executive team! We’re excited to announce that Julia Haywood has joined Lyft as Vice President of Strategy. Julia will own our market expansion strategy, which will include identifying, evaluating, and executing on growth opportunities for the business. Travel and transportation have always… Continue reading Julia Haywood Joins Lyft as VP of Strategy

Careem Muscat launches new service in partnership with Marhaba Taxi

From today, Careem Muscat customers will be able to book the “GO+” car type on the Careem app to order an on-demand taxi.

Careem will handle all elements of the service, from matching the customer to their ride, to dispatching taxis, to customer service, payment and marketing. The new service offers on-demand rides that are priced in line with the regular local taxis

The launch of this new service completes Careem’s footprint across the GCC and we are now the only ride-hailing operator to offer a service across all six GCC countries. It’s now the 15th country overall in which Careem operates.

This new service will be priced in line with general Marhaba Taxi rates in Oman and no additional fees will be applied, with OMR1.25 as the starting rate for fares. Careem’s platform provides transparent pricing for customers and Captains, helping to bring about a new standardisation of taxi fares in Muscat.

Having briefly launched a service in May 2017, Careem was asked by the Government of O..