Nissan is planning an autonomous vehicle ride-share service for Japan in three years to address a dearth of taxi drivers amid the nation¡¯s aging population.
The company, which will begin a trial service in Yokohama using a Serena-based vehicle, aims to have the program running nationwide by fiscal year 2027, Kazuhiro Doi, vice president of Nissan Research and Advanced Engineering, said during a briefing at the company¡¯s Yokohama headquarters. The trial will involve 20 vehicles with a safety monitor in each driver¡¯s seat in Yokohama¡¯s Minato Mirai area. Passengers will be able to make reservations for the service.
Nissan will hold safety-related discussions with the government and proceed gradually, Doi said.
Nissan¡¯s program comes amid growing concerns over autonomous vehicles. In December, General Motors¡¯ Cruise autonomous driving unit dismissed top executives following an incident in which one of its cars struck a pedestrian and dragged them for 6 meters in San Francisco. Honda cast doubt on a previously announced plan to deploy self-driving cars in central Tokyo by early 2026 in partnership with General Motors.
The transport ministry has formed a committee to work with local governments and other stakeholders to lay the groundwork for self-driving vehicles.
¡°Japan is facing a big transportation-related problem, which will get bigger in the future,¡± Doi said. There is a lack of suburban taxi and bus services due to a decreasing and aging population. ¡°A time may come when there are no more drivers.¡±
Nissan has been conducting driverless vehicle trials using its Leaf automobiles in Yokohama, Namie in Fukushima Prefecture, and London since 2018.
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