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Waymo and Via Announce Strategic Partnership to Advance AVs in Public Transit

By: via Business Wire

Via, the leading provider of technology for government transit systems, and Waymo, the autonomous driving technology company, today announced a strategic partnership to allow government agencies leveraging Via’s software to introduce Waymo’s fully autonomous ride-hailing service directly into their public transit networks. Chandler, Arizona will be the first city to benefit from this framework, integrating Waymo’s service into the city’s Chandler Flex microtransit service.

“Public transit riders and the government agencies who serve them are too often the last to have access to cutting-edge technology,” said Daniel Ramot, Via’s co-founder and CEO. “We’re delighted that this partnership with Waymo paves the path for AVs to become accessible to millions of global public transit riders, enhancing mobility, lowering operating costs, and improving safety outcomes.”

“Waymo is committed to expanding mobility access in our markets, and our partnership with Via enables us to contribute to a shared transportation program that is already helping Arizonans travel more conveniently and affordably,” said Annabel Chang, Waymo’s Director of U.S. State & Local Public Policy. “We’re grateful to play a part in reimagining transportation systems in ways that are more sustainable and accessible to all.”

Waymo now serves hundreds of thousands of paid trips each week across five cities. With tens of millions of miles traveled, the data shows that Waymo is making roads safer where it operates, including being involved in 88% fewer injury-causing crashes compared to the average human driver.

Via’s technology powers public transit systems for hundreds of cities in more than 30 countries worldwide. Leveraging billions of transit-specific data points, Via’s software is purpose built to enable governments to design and operate smarter, more efficient, and higher quality transit networks.

The deployment in Chandler, launching this fall, will allow users of the City’s Chandler Flex microtransit service to receive rides in Waymo vehicles. Chandler Flex leverages Via’s proprietary algorithms, designed to efficiently and dynamically aggregate multiple riders into a single vehicle, to create a flexible mass transit system with routes that adapt to passenger demand in real-time. Via’s routing technology will incorporate Waymo’s vehicles into its existing fleet, using Via’s Scheduling Engine to understand passengers’ unique travel requirements and ensure that the right vehicle is matched to every trip. Via’s operating software will enable the City to seamlessly monitor service performance, and meet Federal funding, compliance, and accessibility reporting requirements. The partnership between Waymo and Via enables other cities to easily introduce this same model to their transit networks.

“Chandler has always been a hub for innovation, and we’re proud to be the first city to bring Waymo’s AVs into our public transit network,” said Chandler, AZ Mayor Kevin Hartke. “Chandler Flex has already provided nearly 120,000 rides to residents, and extending our partnership with Via and Waymo ensures we continue to expand mobility options and lead with forward-looking solutions for our community.”

About Waymo:

Waymo is an autonomous driving technology company with the mission to be the most trusted driver. Since our start as the Google Self-Driving Car Project in 2009, Waymo has focused on building the Waymo Driver—The World's Most Experienced Driver™—to improve everyone's access to mobility while saving thousands of lives now lost to traffic crashes. Waymo’s fully autonomous ride-hailing service has served over 10 million trips to riders in San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Austin, and Atlanta. The Waymo Driver has autonomously driven over 100 million miles on public roads and tens of billions in simulation across 15+ U.S. states. For more: www.waymo.com.

About Via:

Via is the technology backbone of a modern transportation network. We transform public transportation systems into dynamic networks, based on data and demand. Cities and transit agencies around the world adopt Via’s suite of software and technology-enabled services to replace fragmented legacy systems and consolidate operations. As a result, Via lowers the cost of providing transit, improves the passenger experience, and brings more riders on board. Today, the Via platform is utilized by hundreds of cities across more than 30 countries to create public transportation systems that connect people with jobs, healthcare, and education.

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