Mercedes-backed ViaVan launches weekly subscription following London launch
Mercedes-backed ride sharing service ViaVan has launched its own weekly subscription service following on from its successful launch in London.
The subscription, called ViaPass, starts at a launch price of £35 for a limited time only. New takers will also have access to four free shared rides daily for seven days, up to a value of £5 per ride.
The joint venture between Via and Mercedes-Benz Vans, which describes itself as "an affordable extension of the public transit system", launched in London in April this year. It has been tipped as a rival to Uber, offering professionally chauffered vans for commuters who are heading in the same direction and want to share a ride together.
ViaVan said it registered half a million rides in May alone, and was considering launching a monthly pass for loyal users in the capital.
Uber is facing stiff competition from all corners in the capital, with other rival Gett raising $80m (£58.9m) in a round led by Volkswagen last month. The fundraising took the firm’s valuation up to $1.4bn.
Read more: Uber rival ride-hailing app Gett raises $80m from VW, hits $1.4bn valuation