Japan’s first driverless taxi service planned for Tokyo in 2027
Tokyo’s planned Level 4 fleet will expand to about 100 vehicles, with Waymo providing the technology and Nihon Kotsu managing operations.
- Japan's first commercial driverless taxi service is scheduled to launch in Tokyo in 2027 as a collaboration between GO Inc., Waymo LLC, and Nihon Kotsu Co.
- The service will utilize Level 4 autonomous driving technology provided by Waymo, with plans for a fleet of approximately 100 vehicles introduced in stages.
- The project aims to address labor shortages and reduce traffic accidents, and customers will be able to access the service via the GO and Waymo apps.
Tokyo is to receive Japan’s first commercial driverless taxi service in 2027 through a collaboration involving taxi-hailing app operator GO Inc., Waymo LLC and Tokyo taxi operator Nihon Kotsu Co.
The three companies announced the plan on Tuesday (September 15, 2026).
About 100 vehicles are ultimately intended for the operation and will be introduced in stages.
The taxis will use Level 4 automation, under which the system assumes every driving function whenever the specified operating conditions apply.
“We want to bring the service into commercial operation with safety as our top priority,” Ichiro Kawanabe told a press conference in Tokyo.
Kawanabe, chairman of both GO and the Japan Federation of Hire-Taxi Associations, also argued that autonomous taxis could reduce traffic accidents and help address labour shortages.
The three-way agreement was reached after the companies tested self-driving vehicles on roads in Tokyo.
Waymo, a unit of US technology giant Alphabet Inc., will contribute the autonomous-driving technology, while Nihon Kotsu will oversee operations and manage the taxi depots.
Customers will be able to access the service through both the GO and Waymo apps.
The Japanese government, meanwhile, wants the number of buses, taxis and trucks used for autonomous-driving services to reach 10,000 in fiscal 2030.
“We expect the partnership to be a big step towards achieving the goal,” Transport Minister Yasushi Kaneko told a separate press conference.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
