Waymo, Japanese Partners Target Driverless Taxi Service in Tokyo in 2027

Alphabet's autonomous driving unit Waymo, Japanese taxi app operator GO 581A.T, and taxi company Nihon Kotsu aim to launch Japan's first fully autonomous commercial taxi service in the capital city of Tokyo by 2027. Initially, the companies plan to start with a small fleet, gradually expanding to around 100 vehicles across key neighbourhoods, once regulatory approvals are granted and Waymo's technology and operating model have been fully validated.

Once the service is fully operational, it will be available through the GO and Waymo apps and will operate without drivers. Waymo Co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana stated that this will be an unmanned service for the public from the beginning. The announcement follows Waymo's initiation of data collection in Tokyo using human-driven Jaguar I-PACE vehicles in 2025, marking its first public-road operations outside the United States.

The launch of the autonomous taxi service is seen as a potential solution to address Japan's driver shortage and broader population decline. Meanwhile, Japanese automaker Nissan has been collaborating with British startup Wayve and Uber Technologies on the development of robotaxis.