ViaVan, the joint-venture between Via and Mercedes-Benz Vans in Europe, has been granted a three-year Private Hire Vehicle Operator license renewal to continue to operate efficient on-demand shared transport in London by Transport for London (TfL).

Since its launch in April 2018, ViaVan has provided more than 7 million rides in London and saved 2 million vehicle miles by pooling multiple passengers into shared vehicles, resulting in more than 660 tons of CO2 saved. During this time, ViaVan expanded to serve London city-wide, and won a highly competitive tender to collaborate with TfL in launching London's first demand-responsive bus pilot in the borough of Sutton, a project which is directly in line with the city’s vision for the future of transport.

A key point of differentiation for ViaVan in London is the company’s focus on the evolution of on-demand public transport to reduce single-occupancy vehicles on the road and reduce the impact of rising congestion and harmful carbon emissions. Using technology from U.S. provider Via, ViaVan has proven to be a strong solution for public transport operators and partners, not only in London with TfL but across the UK in both rural and urban areas, according to the company.

Via’s technology powers the ArrivaClick service in Liverpool, Leicester, and Sittingbourne. In Sittingbourne, 50% of ArrivaClick passengers have shifted from private modes of transport, and significant numbers use the service to connect to commuter train lines. In partnership with Go Ahead, ViaVan provides nearly 4,000 shared journeys a week in Oxford, and most recently launched GoSutton with TfL. ViaVan also launched a second UK consumer service in Milton Keynes in October 2018 that has provided more than 55,000 rides and saved more than 18 tons of CO2, with the introduction of electric vehicles to the fleet coming this fall.