Type Private | ||
Industry Transportation network company
Real-time ridesharing Founded 2012; 5 years ago (2012) Founders Daniel Ramot, CEO
Oren Shoval Headquarters New York City, New York, United States Area served New York City, Chicago,Washington DC | ||
Via Transportation, Inc. also known as Via is a privately held American transportation network and real-time ridesharing company based in New York City. The company was founded in June 2012, by Daniel Ramot and Oren Shoval, the company's mobile-phone application facilitates group travel for a flat rate. Via currently operates in the Manhattan borough of New York, areas of Chicago, Washington DC and in areas of Orange County, California.
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As of May 2016, it was reported that Via had raised $107 million in financing to date.
History and funding
Via was founded in 2012 by Israeli entrepreneurs Daniel Ramot and Oren Shoval. The service is based on the founders' experience with Sherut taxis in Israel. The service originally operated exclusively in Manhattan, before expanding to Chicago in November 2015. The company aims to expand to other boroughs of New York City and Boston.
In April 2015, Via completed a $27 million Series B financing round. That December, Via announced a partnership with Mercedes-Benz and expanded its service into Orange County, California. In May 2016, Via completed a $70 million financing round led by Israeli investment firm Pitango, C4 Ventures, Hearst Ventures and Roman Abramovich bringing its total funding to over $107 million. In August 2016, Via launched its service in Washington D.C.
Service
Via's focus is carpooling, matching multiple passengers headed in the same direction with an available vehicle. Via is headquartered in New York with offices in Tel Aviv, Chicago and Washington D.C.
In order to expedite service, passengers are picked up and dropped off on the corner of a block nearest to their pickup and drop-off locations, as opposed to the exact addresses. The service operates more like a dynamic bus line than a taxi service, and charges users a flat rate for a ride. Unlike other ridesharing companies, Via works with drivers licensed by taxi associations, as well as private citizens. The Via service is approved for use with commuter benefit cards.
Reception
A reviewer for The New York Times in March 2015 wrote, "The S.U.V. that picked me up for Via, with one other passenger already in tow, was neither as fast nor as efficient as a service like Uber. But it was friendlier and, as it tends to carry multiple passengers at once, more community-minded than any other car service I’ve taken. And with a flat rate of $5 a ride, it was cheaper, too."
Via's carpooling has also been profiled for facilitating networking among passengers.