Feb 27 (NHK) - Two leading Japanese firms plan to launch an on-demand ride-sharing service. Toyota and Softbank see a promising market in the growing number of people who think of cars as something to use, but not to own.
The joint venture is called Monet Technologies. A trial run of the new service starts on Tuesday.
80 people who work in Tokyo are taking part in the month-long test. They'll use a smartphone app to reserve rides for their daily commute.
Groups of up to four people will share a van. It comes with Wi-Fi and individual desks.
Feedback from the trial run will be used in developing an AI-program that dispatches vehicles efficiently. Researchers also want to find out what specific features commuters want.
Monet Technologies plans to launch the service using self-driving vehicles as soon as 2023.
Source: ANNnewsCH
