Autonomous Taxis Set for Tokyo Debut in 2027
Tokyo, Sept. 15 (Jiji Press)--Go Inc., operator of a taxi-hailing app, Waymo LLC and Nihon Kotsu Co. said Tuesday that they will jointly launch driverless taxi services in Tokyo in 2027, marking Japan's first such commercial service. The service would use Level 4 autonomous driving, under which a system handles all driving operations under specified conditions. The companies plan to expand t...
Go Inc., Waymo LLC, and Nihon Kotsu Co. plan to introduce autonomous taxi services in Tokyo starting in 2027, making Japan the first country to launch a commercial driverless taxi system. The service will employ Level 4 autonomous driving technology, which allows the system to handle all driving operations within certain conditions.
The partnership between the three companies emerged after successful road tests of self-driving vehicles in Tokyo. Go Inc., the taxi-hailing app operator, Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., will contribute its autonomous driving technology. Meanwhile, Nihon Kotsu, a prominent Tokyo taxi operator, will manage the overall operations and oversee the taxi depots.
The fleet of autonomous taxis is expected to grow gradually, reaching approximately 100 vehicles. Passengers will be able to access the driverless taxis through the Go and Waymo mobile applications. Ichiro Kawanabe, chairman of Go and the Japan Federation of Hire-Taxi Associations, highlighted the potential benefits of autonomous taxis, including reduced traffic accidents and addressing labor shortages during a press conference in Tokyo.
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