News On Japan

Tokyo Plans Self-Driving Ride Trial This Year

TOKYO - An autonomous ride-hailing service developed by British company Wayve launched in London on September 3, with the AI-powered technology also scheduled to begin trial operations in Tokyo by the end of 2026.

The service, developed using Wayve's artificial intelligence technology, can be accessed through the Uber app.

A safety driver remains in the vehicle and can take control when necessary.

Wayve has conducted test drives in more than 500 cities across 70 countries as it develops technology designed to cope with a wide variety of road conditions and driving environments.

"The AI gains extensive driving experience on actual roads, absorbs large amounts of data and learns in a similar way to humans," a Wayve representative said.

Wayve plans to use London as the starting point for expanding its autonomous ride-hailing service to other parts of the world.

The company said it plans to begin a trial service in Tokyo by the end of 2026.

Source: FNN

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