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The company will partner Japanese taxi operator, Nihon Kotsu, and taxi app GO to prepare its self-driving vehicles for driving in Tokyo.
Waymo has announced a partnership that will see it bring its self-driving robotaxis to Japan as part of its very first international venture.
The autotech company, which is owned by multinational Alphabet, will partner with one of Japan’s largest taxi operators, Nihon Kotsu, along with the taxi app GO in order to test the capabilities of its autonomous vehicles on the streets of Tokyo.
Its first all-electric Jaguar I-PACEs will arrive in the city in early 2025, with Nihon Kotsu overseeing the management and servicing of the Waymo vehicles.
If Waymo does end up branching out to Tokyo, it would be a huge move for the company, as Tokyo is estimated to have a population of more than 37m people as of this year, making it one of the world’s most densely populated urban environments.
Waymo said that, over the years, both the Japanese National and Tokyo Metropolitan governments have been “proactively working to address the evolving transportation needs of society” and added that it has been engaging with Japanese policymakers, regulators and local safety officials to ensure a seamless application of Waymo’s technology to the streets of Tokyo.
The autotech company added that the Tokyo trip will allow its vehicles to adapt to left-hand traffic, along with “new driving nuances associated with operating in one of the world’s most densely populated urban environments”.
Initially, Nihon Kotsu drivers will operate Waymo’s vehicles manually in order to map key areas of Tokyo, some of which include Minato, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Chiyoda, Chūō, Shinagawa and Kōtō.
The announcement comes after Waymo revealed last month that its robotaxi service would be made available to all in Los Angeles, making it the third and largest US city where Waymo’s robotaxi service is now fully available, following the cities of Phoenix and San Francisco.
Autonomous vehicles have increased in popularity in recent years, particularly robotaxis. However, while self-driving taxis appear to be on the rise, their popularity has has not come without scrutiny.
In particular, self-driving car company Cruise experienced a considerable amount of turmoil last year after a number of road incidents, including an occasion where one of the company’s automated taxis struck and pinned down a pedestrian.
Last week, General Motors announced that it would halt its Cruise robotaxi project in favour of prioritising the development of advanced driver assistance systems “on a path to fully autonomous personal vehicles”.
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