ViaVan announces first fully electric fleet for shared-ride service in the UK

Image credit: ViaVan

ViaVan have announced the launch of the UK’s first fully electric fleet serving on-demand shared rides in Milton Keynes.

This news comes following 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.

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 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.

As part of their 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 look to 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.

ViaVan has completed 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.”

George Freeman, Minister of State for Transport said: “We are determined to improve air quality in our towns and cities to reduce the health impact of dirty emissions. Through the Government’s Road to Zero Strategy we have invested nearly £1.5 billion to reach our ambition for all new cars and vans to be effectively zero emission by 2040.

“New technologies and innovative transport services such as electric vehicle share are unlocking opportunities, helping meet the demands for cleaner, more convenient travel. ViaVan’s launch today shows industry is taking full advantage of the support on offer from Government for those looking to switch their fleets to electric.”