Waymo is planning to launch its robotaxis overseas by 2025. This will be the company’s first time taking its robotaxis outside the US. On December 16, the company announced that it would be testing robotaxis internationally by running them on the busy streets of Tokyo, Japan by 2025. Nihon Kotsu, Japan’s largest taxi operator will outsource the servicing and management of a fleet of autonomous vehicles.
Waymo will also work with GO, a popular taxi-booking app in Japan. For the testing, Nihon Kotsu drivers will manually operate the robotaxis to create a detailed map of Tokyo’s busy streets, which will cover areas like Minato, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Chiyoda, Chūō, Shinagawa, and Kōtō.
Waymo to Expand Globally with Robotaxi Launch
Waymo has been testing its vehicles for many years in different US cities and also provides paid trips that use a ridesharing app to book robotaxis. For the first time, Waymo will be testing out of the US, which is a necessary step towards overseas expansion. After the manual testing, the autonomous vehicle maker company is planning to offer paid rides under a pilot program. However, the exact dates for the same has not been revealed yet.
During the announcement, Waymo said that the Japan launch will help its autonomous vehicles to learn and experience left-hand driving, which is prominent in Asian countries. Japan’s bustling capital has one of the busiest streets which will robotaxis to understand the nuances of locating one destination to another.
Waymo’s Tokyo 2025: Revolutionizing the Future of Transport
The much-anticipated reason behind Waymo’s decision to expand overseas starting with Japan can be the country’s shortage of taxi drivers. However, it’s too early to think that robotaxis can replace taxi drivers in such a short tenure.
In one of the announcement blogs, Waymo wrote, “Our upcoming road trip to Tokyo gives us the chance to work alongside local partners, government officials, and community groups to understand the new landscape. We’ll learn how Waymo can serve Tokyo’s residents and become a beneficial part of the city’s transportation ecosystem. And every step of the way, we’ll take a rigorous approach to validating our technology’s safety and performance.”
The company also mentioned that it’s working closely with Japanese officials, regulators, and safety teams to smoothly and responsibly introduce Waymo’s technology to the streets of Tokyo.
Waymo’s expansion into Tokyo marks a significant milestone in its global journey, bringing its autonomous vehicle technology to one of the world’s busiest cities. By collaborating with local partners like Nihon Kotsu and the GO taxi app, Waymo aims to create a seamless and responsible introduction of robotaxis to Tokyo’s streets. This initiative not only addresses the growing need for transportation solutions in Japan but also gives Waymo valuable insights into the complexities of left-hand driving and dense urban environments.
