Ridesharing app Via has today announced its first deployment in Israel. Developed in partnership with public transit operator Dan Transportation the new service, bubble, aims to increase mobility and reduce traffic congestion in Tel Aviv and the surrounding cities of Ramat Gan and Givatayim.
“We are delighted to partner with the innovative team at Dan to bring Via’s technology to Tel Aviv, a city that Via already calls home to hundreds of engineering and technology jobs,” said Oren Shoval, co-founder and CTO of Via. “Our powerful passenger matching and vehicle routing algorithm enables our technology to seamlessly integrate into the existing public transit infrastructure providing a congestion reducing, convenient, and affordable way to get around.”
The service is part of a pilot program initiated by the Israeli Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Transportation that seeks to explore how dynamic, on-demand mobility solutions can integrate with public transit to relieve Israel’s congestion issues.
Using the bubble app, riders will be able to hail a shuttle directly from their smartphone. Via’s advanced algorithms will enable multiple riders to seamlessly share the vehicle. The powerful technology will direct passengers to a nearby bus stop within a short walking distance for pick up and drop off, allowing for quick and efficient shared trips without lengthy detours, or inconvenient fixed routes and schedules.
Via has been tapped by cities and transportation players around the world to help re-engineer public transit from a regulated system of rigid routes and schedules to a fully dynamic, on-demand network. Via now has more than 60 launched and pending deployments in more than 15 countries.