Driverless taxis for Tokyo

General Motors and Honda have agreed to create a driverless ride-hailing company in Japan. 

The company will use the Origin autonomous vehicle – made by Cruise, a GM subsidiary – to provide a service in Japan from 2026.

The electric vehicle (EV), which GM builds at a factory in Detroit, has no steering wheel, driver’s seat or pedals. Honda helped design it with Cruise and GM. Unveiled in 2020, it holds up to six people facing each other.

GM plans to build 500 of the EVs to use in Tokyo. It’s expected to be the first autonomous ride-hailing service in that country, according to the companies.

Cruise operates as a subsidiary of GM, but Honda has also been a major investor in the California-based company since 2018. It develops driverless technology, tests the technology and operates limited ride-hailing services using modified Chevrolet Bolts.

Cruise will initially refine its software in Tokyo using the same sort of Bolt-based autonomous cars it operates in San Francisco, Phoenix and Austin in the States. These have steering wheels and pedals so a human can take over driving if needed.

Operating in Japan presents some challenges compared with the US, such as driving on the left-hand side, but Cruise is confident Cruise’s vehicles and software will be adjustable.

The driverless service may answer a growing need for transport in Japan, which has faced a shortage of taxi drivers. The companies add there’s also a need for more accessible services for disabled, elderly and young people.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the proportion of Japan’s elderly, defined as 60-plus, is at a record high. It accounts for 29.1 per cent of the population, the highest rate in the world.

Other projects Honda and GM have worked on include hydrogen fuel-cell development. The Japanese marque also plans to produce and sell EVs in the US based on GM engineering.