Via acquires journey planning app Citymapper

New York-based TransitTech company Via announced on Thursday that it has acquired Citymapper, a popular journey planning and mapping app. The acquisition, of which the financial details weren’t disclosed, comes a month after Via raised $110 million at a $3.5 billion valuation.

Founded in 2012 by former Google employee Azmat Yusuf, London-based Citymapper has been used by over 50 million users to plan their journeys in more than 100 cities. In addition to public transit routes, the app also shows users how to get to their destination by walking, cycling, scooters and taxis. While that could seem ordinary for today’s users, it was actually first introduced by Citymapper back in 2011, long before Apple and Google introduced similar features for their mapping apps.

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In its announcement post, Via said that the acquisition will advance its ‘’vision to be the operating system for every aspect of public mobility’’. The company said that it will integrate Citymapper’s solutions into its own TransitTech platform, which will allow cities and transit agencies to ‘’plan transit networks that are responsive and resilient to rapidly changing needs, to operate smart multi-modal transportation systems, and to use data to continually enhance performance’’.

The Citymapper app will continue to operate following the acquisition, but all of its members will join Via’s team.

Daniel Ramot, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Via, said: “We have the utmost respect for the world-class product and user experience that Azmat and his team have built. By bringing our teams together, we see an exciting opportunity to deliver Citymapper’s capabilities to cities and transit agencies all over the world, so that they can create the most user-friendly and relevant transit experience for their communities.”

‍Azmat Yusuf, Founder and CEO of Citymapper, commented: “The team at Citymapper has spent a decade building some of the greatest technology in urban mobility, with the mission to make cities easier to navigate and urban transportation more efficient, sustainable, and accessible. We share this vision with Via, and through this acquisition, can expand Citymapper to a larger audience, make our technology available to cities and transit agencies, and extend the positive impact on the communities we serve.”