Via announced a strategic partnership with ITOCHU Corp. and Mori Building Co. Following on the heels of the August 2018 launch of HillsVia, a commuter service for Mori employees, the new partnership will allow Via to rapidly expand its dynamic, on-demand transportation solutions and solve pressing transit issues across Japan.

Via is able to seamlessly integrate with existing fixed-route transportation infrastructure, helping to fill in gaps where existing transit isn’t easily accessible. The company’s technology efficiently works to aggregate multiple passengers into shared vehicles, reducing single-occupancy vehicle trips, thus improving traffic congestion and curtailing carbon emissions. The easy-to-use mobile interface is suited to riders of all ages, including the elderly.

As one of the country’s largest general trading companies, ITOCHU has a deep understanding of the Japanese consumer market, leading the pack when it comes to investing in transformative technologies like Via that will both innovate transportation and solve local governments’ most pressing issues.

Leading Tokyo-based urban developer Mori Building began its partnership with Via in August 2018, developing the on-demand mobility HillsVia solution for travel between Mori Building properties, such as Roppongi Hills and Toranomon Hills. Using the Via-powered HillsVia mobile app, Mori Building employees can book rides in high-end V-Class vans provided by Mercedes-Benz to move amongst the properties. The program confirmed that Via’s solutions can be successfully applied to Japanese business customs and traffic conditions.

In partnership with ITOCHU and Mori Building, Via aims to provide Japanese transportation companies and drivers with new technology that will both improve their organizational profitability, as well as solve social problems throughout Japan.