ViaVan launches fully electric fleet for on-demand shared rides in Milton Keynes

ViaVan, the leader in public mobility in Europe, announced the launch of the UK’s first fully electric fleet serving on-demand shared rides in Milton Keynes.

This milestone was made possible by a £544,000 ($696,320) grant from the UK Department for Transport's Office for Low Emission Vehicles, awarded to ViaVan and secured through Milton Keynes Council.

As a complement to electrification of its fleet, ViaVan announced a ground-breaking partnership with Milton Keynes Council to jointly ensure the success of on-demand shared rides in Milton Keynes. ViaVan marked its one-year anniversary in Milton Keynes with the introduction of five electric Mercedes-Benz Vito eTourers to its fleet, and plans to expand the fleet of on-demand shuttles to thirty electric vehicles by 2020.

The funding through Milton Keynes Council supports the Department for Transport's initiatives around Ultra Low Emission Vehicles, which aims to help cities meet targets for reducing carbon emissions and provide an efficient and sustainable on-demand service for passengers.

Likewise, for ViaVan, the electrification of its fleet in Milton Keynes represents an important step in ViaVan's vision to evolve public transport across the UK with smart, sustainable, and congestion-reducing shared rides. The programme aligns with the recent announcement by the UK Government to set bold plans to accelerate the decarbonisation of transport and Milton Keynes Council's ambitions to become the greenest city in the world.

As an extension to this vision, ViaVan and Milton Keynes Council announced a voluntary cooperation that seeks to establish a meaningful framework within the city to enable the success of zero-emission, on-demand shared ride services. Through this cooperation, ViaVan and Milton Keynes Council will identify opportunities to expand access and infrastructure for on-demand shared rides, gather insights and data to support the delivery of innovative transport solutions, and collaborate on “Mobility as a Service” (MaaS) offerings.

Expanding on its global expertise in shared rides, matching multiple passengers into a single vehicle with the use of “virtual bus stops,” ViaVan has built unique features into its algorithm to maximise the range and utilisation of electric vehicles. This includes accounting for real-time optimisation of vehicle battery life, dynamic allocation of charging tasks, and intelligent routing to charging infrastructure.

ViaVan has powered more than 100,000 rides in Milton Keynes since launch, and recently surpassed 7 million rides in its London service. Across the UK and Europe, ViaVan works with a number of leading public transport authorities, cities and partners including Transport for London (TfL) for a demand-responsive bus pilot in the Borough of Sutton, Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) for a majority electric on-demand shared fleet, and Helsinki Regional Transport Authority (HSL).

ViaVan CEO Chris Snyder said: “We are honoured to receive funding from the UK Department for Transport with support from Milton Keynes Council to fully electrify our fleet in Milton Keynes. Together with Milton Keynes Council, we are excited not only to establish a plan to achieve success for green, on-demand mobility offerings in the city, but also to create a model for how the public and private sectors can work together to realise the vision of smart, sustainable public transport for the future.”

Councillor Martin Gowans, Cabinet Member for Transport said: “We are delighted to be working with Viavan to deliver an electric fleet to provide an on-demand shared ride service. Our partnership will ensure that we work towards Milton Keynes to be the greenest city and carbon neutral by 2030. We are proud of such technology and it aligns with MKC's Mobility Strategy.”