Uber Testing Use of Car-Sharing Vehicles in Tokyo

Jiji Press

11:20 JST, September 5, 2024

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Uber Japan has launched a trial of utilizing vehicles for car-sharing services to transport customers under its ride-hailing services in Tokyo, with the aim of securing a sufficient number of ride-hailing drivers.

Tying up with taxi company Royal Limousine and car-sharing service provider Times Mobility Co., the unit of U.S. ride-hailing service provider Uber Technologies Inc. began on Tuesday the experimental operations designed to enable ordinary drivers to offer ride-hailing services even if they do not own vehicles and thus find it easier to start the business.

In the trial, which will run through Nov. 30, drivers recruited by Royal Limousine use two vehicles owned by Times Mobility to operate ride-hailing services in central Tokyo’s 23 wards and the western Tokyo cities of Musashino and Mitaka. Uber will consider whether to fully launch such services based on findings from the trial.

In April, the Japanese government partially lifted a ban on ride-hailing services, allowing individuals to use their private vehicles to offer paid rides. But the services have failed to spread as much as expected due in part to time and area limitations.

Kazuo Horie, adviser at Royal Limousine, said at a demonstration event for the media on Tuesday, “We hope ride-hailing services will expand by allowing people to work [as drivers] without owning cars.”