Unmanned taxis in Japan: the new Cruise Origin service will help solve the problem of driver shortage (photo)
Cruise, General Motors (GM), and Honda have formed a joint venture to provide self-driving taxi services in Japan. The new service, called Cruise Origin, will be created as an unmanned taxi service that picks up customers at a specified location and delivers them to their destination. Customers will use a special app on their smartphones to make calls and pay.
Cruise Origin is a driverless car without a driver. It has a large cabin space that allows six passengers to ride at the same time. This driverless service will aim to offer a new type of mobility in Japan and target a wide range of customers.
In 2026, unmanned taxis will start running in the center of Tokyo, with up to 500 Cruise Origins planned to be used. In the future, the company plans to expand and scale the service to areas outside of Tokyo’s city center.
According to the statement, the company will “strive to offer new mobility value, as well as help solve social problems facing Japan, such as the shortage of taxi and bus drivers.”
