Robotaxis are soon to be found anywhere, and Uber is not letting its guard down. For a fact, it has recently signed a deal with Japanese taxi operator Hinomaru Kotsu to manage the operations of these robotaxis around Tokyo.
It will launch full-scale this late 2026, and things are almost set. But, financial specialists are weighing in: is this deal a growth catalyst? Let’s not talk about things and disasters that don’t deserve talking. Instead, the more important things. Here’s the report.
The news
Uber recently officially announced that its arm in Japan, Uber Japan, has signed an operational deal with taxi operator in the East Asian country Hinomaru Kotsu to manage the daily fleet operations for Uber’s autonomous-vehicle pilot in Tokyo, scheduled to launch later this year.
Hinomaru Kotsu is, thank you, Tokyo’s sightseeing taxi. On its official website, it identifies itself with this description, “If you take a sightseeing taxi in Tokyo, you can move easily without having to worry about your luggage. You can take in the freedom and luxury of sightseeing in Tokyo with our taxis, comfortably and at your own way.”
The best features of this sightseeing taxi in the Japanese capital are:
- Suitable for guided sightseeing in Tokyo for tiny groups
- Convenient and comfortable for family and friends
- Bring your luggage with you
- Fares are based on usage time, therefore great value for small groups
- Speaks English, Portuguese, Korean and various other languages
- Wheelchairs and child seats available for hire
Hinomaru Kotsu is tasked to manage the daily fleet operations for the autonomous-car pilot of Uber in Tokyo with responsibilities that include depot management, cleaning, maintenance, inspections, charging, and ensuring car availability. Uber will leverage its own app to make these Hinomaru Kotsu rides accessible.
This follows the robotaxi deal, the Memorandum of Understanding signed last March 12th, 2026 between Uber, Wayve, and Nissan Motor. Nissan LEAF cars fully-equipped with the much-needed features will be utilized to experience advanced robotaxi services as daily transport options.
Like Japan’s passion for organizing, as seen in the Marie Kondo way, this project is bound to be very, very organized.
It will also be compliant and safe. Japanese law would require the companies adjoining to fully-comply with domestic laws, regulations, and licensing requirements.
Basically, Uber provides the ride-matching platform and operational support tools, while Hinomaru Kotsu will act as operator. See? Organized, indeed.
As to ensure safety, drivers are to sit behind the wheel, and there will also be safety operators to monitor the operations, but this setup will only be during the pilot’s initial stages.
Is it a growth catalyst?
The design of the project is wonderful, imagine that! But, is it a growth catalyst with the potential to give revenue in the long-term?
“If the partnership materializes as planned, Uber will benefit by expanding its autonomous-mobility presence in Japan without directly assuming the responsibilities reserved for licensed taxi operators. The arrangement will combine Uber’s customer reach, matching technology and operational tools with Hinomaru Kotsu’s local fleet expertise and regulatory authorization. This move will also allow Uber to test robotaxi operations in Tokyo’s complex driving environment, strengthen its collaboration with Nissan and Wayve, gather valuable operational experience and prepare for a potential transition to fully driverless services,” stated financial specialists.
In other words, while this initiative is almost set, financial experts are not totally convinced if it is a formidable growth catalyst. There is more work to do.
Robotaxis are autonomous, self-driving car operated by a ridesharing service. Passengers make use of a mobile app to request a ride, and the car picks them up and drives them to their destination without a human driver behind the wheel.
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