Mercedes-Benz is looking to increase its presence in the world of ride-sharing following a $50 million investment in a joint venture between its vans division and U.S. startup Via.
As part of the investment, Mercedes-Benz Vans and Via will bring their successful on-demand shuttle services from New York, Chicago and Washington D.C. to a host of large European cities. Things will kick off later this year in London.
Via’s ride-sharing system works by matching passengers headed in the same direction together and allowing them to ride together in a single van, just like UberPOOL. The new service will also serve an important role in Daimler’s mobility services push which already includes Car2Go, MyTaxi and Moovel.
Speaking about the partnership, head of Mercedes-Benz Vans Volker Mornhinweg said “On-demand ride-sharing offers many new ways of making city traffic efficient, needs-based and sustainable – especially when it involves the use of spacious, safe and comfortable vans.
“Via is one of the most successful providers in the growing ride-sharing sector while Mercedes-Benz Vans has the perfect vehicles that are being continuously optimised for this job. By deepening our cooperation with Via, we are thus taking the next logical step in the context of our strategy for the future and are expanding our range of new mobility services."
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