September 11th, 2020 (TOKYO)-- Hinomaru, one of the largest limousine operators in Japan, and Via, the leader in public mobility solutions, announce a partnership to use Via’s on-demand transport technology to increase efficiency of Hinomaru’s dispatching operations. This includes automated dispatching and routing operations, driver app and insights that allow for flexible adjustments to service.
As the first step in the business alliance, Hinomaru Limousine and Via have introduced the Via system into their dispatch operation in Tokyo. Prior to integrating Via’s software, Hinomaru dispatchers had to manually assign drivers and design routes for complicated requests every day at midnight. In just two weeks since the partnership began, Hinomaru has already seen the following impacts:
- 80% reduction in man-hours for dispatching and routing operations
- 10% reduction in fleet size which meets same volume of demands from Hinomaru’s customer, thanks to the efficient dispatching
- Driver app shows optimized routes and drivers use the app
The partnership between Hinomaru and Via will ultimately benefit Hinomaru’s customers, including cities and companies.
“We established Via Mobility Japan as a joint venture between Via, headquartered in the US, Itochu and Mori Building in 2019,"said Via Japan CEO, Hiroshi Nishijima. "Since then, we have deployed Via’s solution in Japan. Through the partnership with Hinomaru, we confirmed that Via’s solution would improve efficiency of Japan’s taxi and limousine industry."
"This holds strategic meaning in a number of ways during the COVID-19 pandemic. First, Via contributes to reducing the cost of transport operations for cities and agencies who have faced the urgent need to improve efficiency as a way to cope with decreased demand. Second, the efficiency improvement, in addition to the ease of social distancing as compared to other methods of public transport, would make the limousine and the taxi a choice mode of transport during the pandemic. Increased efficiency would also increase affordability and convenience for passengers, making taxis and limousines a more attractive solution for travel. Finally, Via’s solution transforms how employees and drivers in the taxi and limousine companies work. Previously, paperwork, in-person meetings, and manual process and procedures were the industry standard. By implementing Via’s solution, employees and drivers can route, dispatch and communicate remotely and in real-time. We would like to use our experience at Via in efficiency improvement to play an important role in the transformation of the public transit sector in Japan."
Via has been tapped by cities and transportation operators around the world to use software solutions to re-engineer public transit from a regulated system of rigid routes and schedules to a fully dynamic network. Via now has more than 100 launched partnerships in more than 20 countries using on-demand solutions to reimagine transport.
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About Hinomaru Limousine Company, Ltd.
Hinomaru Limousine Company is a for-hire taxi company belonging to Hinomaru Motor Group, a major industry leader that has celebrated its 70th anniversary. With the 23 wards of Tokyo and the Mikata district as business areas, Hinomaru's for-hire taxi company is the primary business, providing domestic VIP, corporate executive and employee transfers. The business boasts the best track record in the industry in the inbound market, meeting needs that won high praise for international events and VIP transfers in Japan, such as securing a large selection of vehicles and large number of English-speaking crew members. In addition, paying attention to recent climate variability and in order to realize an environmentally-friendly infrastructure, the company actively works on solving social problems, such as introducing electric for-hire vehicles and taxi vehicles, ahead of the industry.
About Via:
Via is re-engineering public transit, from a regulated system of rigid routes and schedules to a fully dynamic, on-demand network. Via’s mobile app connects multiple passengers who are headed the same way, allowing riders to seamlessly share a premium vehicle. First launched in New York City in September 2013, the Via platform operates in the United States. Via’s technology is also deployed worldwide through dozens of partner projects with public transportation agencies, private transit operators, taxi fleets, private companies, and universities, seamlessly integrating with public transit infrastructure to power cutting-edge on-demand mobility. For more information, visit Via’s website.