Tokyo, August 1, 2018 -- Mori Building, a leading urban developer in Tokyo, announced today that it is working in cooperation with Via, the New York-based shared ride technology startup, and commencing trials of the on-demand shuttle service "HillsVia" in the "Hills" complex including Roppongi Hills and Toranomon Hills in Tokyo. Mori Building has been supporting a series of collaborative research and demonstration experiments in cooperation with some of the world's most advanced research institutions, universities and companies, aimed at improving the convenience and comfort of modern urban living. This latest experiment will showcase ways of enhancing travel options in our congested cities, and how to minimize the environmental impact of urban transportation.

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The experiment aims to demonstrate how Via's advanced algorithms enable efficient transportation by matching multiple passengers going in the same direction, directing them to optimized pickup points (virtual bus stops), and dynamically routing vehicles along the best route. Via actively licenses its technology to public and private transportation operators, including ongoing partnerships with world-class bus and taxi companies. Collaborations like these will improve the capacity of urban transportation infrastructure.

Via also operates consumer services in many international cities, including New York, Chicago, Washington DC, London, and Amsterdam, where it has completed over 35 million rides. In these advanced cities, the emergence of smart urban transportation services like Via has shown positive results such as economic revitalization and job creation.

Mercedes-Benz Japan Co., Ltd. is supporting this pilot and providing their latest vehicles for the duration of the trial. By shortening traveling times and providing a more comfortable traveling environment, Mori Building's proposed on-demand shuttle service represents not just a new way to travel, but a new means of overall communication within urban areas. As a first step, Mori Building's own 1,300 employees will participate in the experiment free of charge; data collected during their usage of the service between home and office and in other situations will be analyzed to help assess its practicality and usefulness.

Mori Building will continue to participate in similar innovative experiments, aiming to help create great modern cities offering their inhabitants convenient and attractive lifestyles, and helping in particular to further enhance Tokyo's attractiveness as a vibrant, modern metropolis.