ViaVan, the leader in public mobility in Europe, has announced the launch of the UK’s first fully electric fleet serving on-demand shared rides in Milton Keynes.
This milestone is made possible by a £ 544,000 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 marks 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 MKC 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.
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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 MKC announce 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.
Across the UK, forward-thinking cities and public transport authorities are looking for sustainable and congestion-reducing solutions to cut down on the number of single occupancy vehicles on the road and eliminate unnecessary emissions.
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.
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.”
