ViaVan has launched a fully electric fleet of on-demand shared ride vehicles in Milton Keynes, said to mark a UK first.

The five electric Mercedes-Benz Vito eTourers in Milton Keynes will be expanded to 30 by next year

The firm is marking its one-year anniversary in the town with the addition of five electric Mercedes-Benz Vito eTourers to its fleet, with plans to have 30 electric vehicles in operation there by 2020, aided by a £544,000 grant from the Office for Low Emission Vehicles.

Alongside this, ViaVan and Milton Keynes Council have announced a new partnership to jointly ensure the success of zero-emission on-demand shared rides in Milton Keynes. This will see them work together 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. The work sits in line with the council’s plans to be the greenest city and carbon neutral by 2030 as well as its Mobility Strategy.

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.”