Mercedes-Benz Vans and BASF will work together on mobility issues in the future. The two companies will start their cooperation by optimizing individual transportation at BASF’s Ludwigshafen site. An on-demand ridesharing system will soon be introduced at the Ludwigshafen site, which is roughly a factory shuttle 2.0 by analogy with the choice of words used for digitization these days.
This innovation makes it possible to transport people efficiently on BASF’s site. In addition to individual plant transport, the partners also want to jointly test solutions in the areas of E-Mobility, digitization and autonomous driving.

The on-demand ridesharing system provides Mercedes-Benz vans that can be ordered by employees and guests for trips on the BASF site. The system is organized via an app. It controls the optimal routes of the vehicles. The bus service existing on the BASF site can thus be supplemented with state-of-the-art equipment. The aim of the chemical giant is to reduce individual traffic at the site and at the same time improve the mobility of employees and guests.

ViaVan operates the factory shuttle with its vans

The service is operated by ViaVan, a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz Vans and the American startup Via. The intelligent algorithm developed by Via makes it possible to combine journeys so that passengers with similar or identical destinations can be transported together without lengthy detours and delays. ViaVan is already in use in Amsterdam, London and Berlin. In Berlin, the ‘BerlinKönig’ service has been operated jointly with the local BVG for a few days now. Further cities in Europe are to follow this year. BASF’s site in Ludwigshafen is the joint venture’s first industrial site to introduce this system.

ViaVan on industrial site is a milestone for Ridesharing by Mercedes-Benz

“The cooperation with BASF is another milestone for our future initiative adVANce,” says Volker Mornhinweg, Head of Mercedes-Benz Vans. “It supports the rapid development of new mobility solutions – in real-life operations and in close cooperation with our partners and customers. Our initial focus is on optimizing internal plant traffic – but that’s just the beginning.
With our solutions for shared and, in the future, autonomous mobility, we can make a contribution to ensuring that all BASF employees reach their destinations quickly, comfortably, safely and sustainably.”

The initiative of the two industry leaders is certainly also aimed at BASF employees. Good and modern, innovative working conditions for employees at Ludwigshafen help to attract talent. I am sure that this new form of ridesharing will soon find imitators in the corporate environment.

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