Waymo, Alphabet's self-driving technology company, will be on the streets of Tokyo in early 2025. Waymo partners with Nihon Kotsu, Japan’s largest taxi company, and ride-hailing app GO. This is Waymo’s first test outside the United States, and they plan to offer self-driving taxi services in the future

Waymo will come to Tokyo in 2025

In the early stages, Nihon Kotsu drivers will manually operate Waymo vehicles to map major areas of Tokyo. These areas include Shinjuku, Shibuya, Minato, Chiyoda, Chuo, Shinagawa, and Koto.

Not only is this the first time Waymo has been tested outside the United States, the system also has to adapt to left-hand traffic and the nuances associated with operating in the most densely populated urban environment in the world.

The first Waymo all-electric Jaguar I-PACE will arrive in Tokyo in early 2025. Partner Nihon Kotsu, Tokyo’s largest taxi operator, will be responsible for the management and maintenance of Waymo vehicles. The two companies are working closely to train Nihon Kotsu's team to operate vehicles equipped with Waymo's self-driving system. Initially, Nihon Kotsu drivers will operate the vehicles manually and collect more detailed maps of areas including Shinjuku, Shibuya, Minato, Chiyoda, Chuo, Shinagawa and Koto.

Japan’s population is aging, autonomous driving has potential in rural areas

But Bloomberg columnist Catherine Thorbecke has a different take. She believes that driving in the capital is difficult even for humans. But self-driving cars could be driven to rural areas to fill labor shortages and transportation gaps.​

The Waymo ride service currently operates in large areas of Phoenix, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Even the most populous of these American cities (Los Angeles, with just under 4 million) is dwarfed by Tokyo’s 14 million residents (not counting the oft-cited 36 million residents of the metropolitan area).

Thorbecke believes there is a big opportunity for driverless technology to make a difference as Japan's population ages and the government prioritizes addressing labor shortages. Waymo could start by bringing its services to rural communities. These sparsely populated areas have fewer pedestrians and are easier to drive. Residents there need alternatives to dwindling public transportation services. It might not be the big-city buzz Waymo is aiming for, but it could be an unexpected winner.

This article Waymo heads to Tokyo in 2025 to challenge the world’s busiest city first appeared on Chain News ABMedia.