Via Goes Exclusively Shared for Earth Day
The company encourages everyone to ditch single-occupancy trips for shared transportation
April 17, 2019– Via, the leading provider and
developer of on-demand shared mobility, is encouraging everyone to take a stand
against congestion and carbon emissions this Earth Day by turning off its
private ride feature and exclusively offering shared rides on April 22.
“At Via we have always believed that we’re smarter
together, that everyone wins when you share your ride,” said Daniel Ramot,
Via’s co-founder and CEO. “Via’s sophisticated passenger matching algorithms
allows us to utilize every seat in the vehicle. By moving more people with
fewer cars, we reduce congestion and emissions and ensure that drivers spend
less time cruising around empty.”
If just one commuter made the switch to taking shared
rides to-and-from work instead of single-occupancy vehicle trips, his or her
carbon footprint would be reduced by the same amount as planting 17 trees.
Similarly, if 1,500 New Yorkers decided to take the same action, the amount of
CO2 saved would be more than equivalent to the number of trees in Central Park.
This Earth Day, Via encourages everyone to make the switch from
single-occupancy to shared, and encourages other transportation providers to
offer exclusively shared rides for the day.
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 other
on-demand car services, which reduces traffic and carbon emissions. Via is also
developing routing and fleet management technology to power entirely electric vehicle
fleets.
Via has been tapped by cities and transportation
players around the world to help find green solutions to cut down on private
vehicle usage. Via now has more than 60 launched and pending deployments in
more than 15 countries, including partnerships with some of the world’s biggest
public transit agencies such as Los Angeles Metro, Singapore’s Land
Transportation Authority, Transport for London, and Berlin’s Berliner
Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG).
Via’s Shared Stats:
–The most passengers picked up in one consecutive trip without ever having an empty car = 30
–Via passengers share their ride with at least one other person more than 85% of the time during peak hours when congestion is at its worst
–In 2018 alone, New Yorkers saved more than $90M by riding shared instead of private
–Riders in New York have saved more than 22M pounds of CO2 and 29M vehicle miles by riding shared as compared to riding private
–The TLC reported in 2018 that Via has the highest utilization rate of any for-hire vehicle service in New York City.
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.