Via, a leading on-demand shared rides technology developer and provider, has announced that industry-leading automotive company Daimler AG will make a strategic investment to support its continued rapid growth.

Daimler AG is one of the world's most successful automotive companies. With its divisions Mercedes-Benz Cars, Daimler Trucks, Mercedes-Benz Vans, Daimler Buses and Daimler Financial Services.

Building on a partnership that began in 2015, Via and Daimler will significantly intensify their cooperation, establishing a joint venture to launch on-demand shuttle services powered by Via's revolutionary technology across Europe, and to license Via's on-demand shuttle operating system to European transit authorities and municipalities, said a statement.

Adding to the strategic investment of Daimler Mobility Services, Mercedes-Benz Vans will invest $50 million in the new joint venture with Via, it said.

Daniel Ramot, co-founder and CEO of Via, said: “We are delighted to have the Daimler Group on board as an investor and strategic partner. Combining our technology with the exceptional design and engineering of Mercedes-Benz Vans is ideal for our vision of offering efficient, affordable, sustainable, and convenient shared rides everywhere.”

Oren Shoval, co-founder and chief technology officer, Via, said: “Our world-class engineering team is perfecting the operating system that will power the future of mobility.”

“We are excited to bring our proprietary technology and operational excellence to Europe through the new joint venture with Mercedes-Benz Vans,” he said.

London will be the first city to launch the new Via-Daimler on-demand shuttle service by the end of 2017, with expansion to additional European cities to follow soon after. Via's shared ride platform is currently available in New York City, Chicago, and Washington DC, providing over 1 million rides per month. The company's smart routing algorithms allow passengers to be picked up and dropped off in an endless stream without taking riders out of their way.

As part of their strategic partnership, Daimler and Via will also collaborate on the design of an optimized Mercedes-Benz Vans shuttle for on-demand shared ride use, and will develop systems for efficiently managing and optimizing fleets of electric and autonomous shuttles.

Volker Mornhinweg, head of Mercedes-Benz Vans, 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,” he said.

“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,” he added. – TradeArabia News Service