Via Case Studies BlueVia: Revolutionizing Corporate Mobility in Japan

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	BlueVia: Revolutionizing Corporate Mobility in Japan Via

BlueVia: Revolutionizing Corporate Mobility in Japan

Via

Technology Category	Robots - Autonomous Guided Vehicles (AGV)
Applicable Industries	Automotive Transportation
Use Cases	Autonomous Transport Systems Transportation Simulation
Challenge	ITOCHU Corporation, a prominent Japanese company, and Mori Building Company, a leading Tokyo-based urban developer, were seeking to improve mobility between their company campuses and reduce the use of single occupancy vehicles. They partnered with Via in 2019 to expand on-demand mobility in Japan. The initial partnership with Via began in August 2018, where Mori Building Company developed an on-demand mobility solution for travel between properties. It quickly became evident that Via’s solutions could be successfully applied to Japanese business customs and traffic conditions. However, the challenge was to create a solution that would be widely accepted and used by the employees, and that could be integrated into the existing transportation infrastructure. Read More
About Customer	The customer in this case study is ITOCHU Corporation, a major Japanese company, and its employees. ITOCHU Corporation is a globally integrated corporation with offices around the world. The company is involved in various business activities such as domestic trading, import/export, and overseas trading of various products such as textiles, machinery, metals, minerals, energy, chemicals, food, general products, realty, information and communications technology, and finance, as well as business investment in Japan and overseas. The company was seeking a solution to improve mobility between its campuses and reduce the use of single occupancy vehicles. Read More
Solution	In October 2019, ITOCHU employees were given access to the “BlueVia” App, available on both iOS and Android platforms. This app allowed them to hail a free on-demand shuttle to commute and travel between off-site meetings. The BlueVia service operates in cooperation with Nihon Kotsu., Ltd, one of Japan’s largest taxi companies. Via worked closely with Nihon Kotsu to identify popular origins and destinations for inclusion in the service area, including Tokyo Station, one of the busiest intercity and commuter rail terminals in Japan. In January 2020, Via and ITOCHU expanded the service region by 25 square kilometers, more than doubling the area covered by the partnership and including areas with major Itochu subsidiaries like Tamachi, Shinjuku, and Shinagawa. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Technology Category

Robots - Autonomous Guided Vehicles (AGV)

Applicable Industries

Automotive

Transportation

Use Cases

Autonomous Transport Systems

Transportation Simulation

Challenge

ITOCHU Corporation, a prominent Japanese company, and Mori Building Company, a leading Tokyo-based urban developer, were seeking to improve mobility between their company campuses and reduce the use of single occupancy vehicles. They partnered with Via in 2019 to expand on-demand mobility in Japan. The initial partnership with Via began in August 2018, where Mori Building Company developed an on-demand mobility solution for travel between properties. It quickly became evident that Via’s solutions could be successfully applied to Japanese business customs and traffic conditions. However, the challenge was to create a solution that would be widely accepted and used by the employees, and that could be integrated into the existing transportation infrastructure.

About Customer

The customer in this case study is ITOCHU Corporation, a major Japanese company, and its employees. ITOCHU Corporation is a globally integrated corporation with offices around the world. The company is involved in various business activities such as domestic trading, import/export, and overseas trading of various products such as textiles, machinery, metals, minerals, energy, chemicals, food, general products, realty, information and communications technology, and finance, as well as business investment in Japan and overseas. The company was seeking a solution to improve mobility between its campuses and reduce the use of single occupancy vehicles.

Solution

In October 2019, ITOCHU employees were given access to the “BlueVia” App, available on both iOS and Android platforms. This app allowed them to hail a free on-demand shuttle to commute and travel between off-site meetings. The BlueVia service operates in cooperation with Nihon Kotsu., Ltd, one of Japan’s largest taxi companies. Via worked closely with Nihon Kotsu to identify popular origins and destinations for inclusion in the service area, including Tokyo Station, one of the busiest intercity and commuter rail terminals in Japan. In January 2020, Via and ITOCHU expanded the service region by 25 square kilometers, more than doubling the area covered by the partnership and including areas with major Itochu subsidiaries like Tamachi, Shinjuku, and Shinagawa.

Impact #1	The BlueVia service has been enthusiastically received by ITOCHU employees, leading to a significant increase in usage. The arrangement has also attracted positive attention from other corporations interested in offering a similar benefit to their employees. Furthermore, ITOCHU has been able to use the data from the service to better understand the true value of on-demand transit. This has allowed them to make more informed decisions about their transportation policies and strategies, leading to improved operational efficiency and employee satisfaction.

Impact #1

The BlueVia service has been enthusiastically received by ITOCHU employees, leading to a significant increase in usage. The arrangement has also attracted positive attention from other corporations interested in offering a similar benefit to their employees. Furthermore, ITOCHU has been able to use the data from the service to better understand the true value of on-demand transit. This has allowed them to make more informed decisions about their transportation policies and strategies, leading to improved operational efficiency and employee satisfaction.

Benefit #1	More than 29,000 total rides have been taken using the BlueVia service.
Benefit #2	The service region was expanded by 25 square kilometers, more than doubling the area covered by the partnership.

Benefit #1

More than 29,000 total rides have been taken using the BlueVia service.

Benefit #2

The service region was expanded by 25 square kilometers, more than doubling the area covered by the partnership.

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Overview

BlueVia: Revolutionizing Corporate Mobility in Japan

Operational Impact

Quantitative Benefit