Waymo is taking its robotaxis out of the U.S. for the first time as the company sets about expanding testing internationally.
A fleet of its autonomous vehicles will be heading first to the busy streets of Tokyo early next year, Waymo announced on Monday.
It’ll outsource servicing and management of its vehicles to Nihon Kotsu, Tokyo’s largest taxi operator, and also work with GO, Japan’s popular taxi-hailing app. To begin with, Nihon Kotsu drivers will manually operate Waymo vehicles in order to build a map of key parts of Japan’s bustling capital, covering areas such as Minato, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Chiyoda, Chūō, Shinagawa, and Kōtō. Paid robotaxi rides as part of a pilot program will likely follow, though Waymo has yet to reveal a target date for such a service.
Alphabet-owned Waymo said the experience of driving in Tokyo will help its autonomous-vehicle technology to learn and adapt to left-hand traffic as well as the nuances of driving behavior born from navigating the streets of one of the most densely populated urban environments on the planet.
“Our upcoming road trip to Tokyo gives us the chance to work alongside local partners, government officials, and community groups to understand the new landscape,” Waymo said in a blog post announcing the expansion. “We’ll learn how Waymo can serve Tokyo’s residents and become a beneficial part of the city’s transportation ecosystem. And every step of the way, we’ll take a rigorous approach to validating our technology’s safety and performance.”
The company added that it’s engaging with Japanese policymakers, regulators, and local safety officials “to ensure a responsible and seamless implementation of Waymo’s technology to Tokyo’s streets.”
Japan is suffering an acute shortage of taxi drivers, a factor that may have had some influence on Waymo’s decision to head there. Still, a firmly established robotaxi service covering the entire city is likely to be years away.
Waymo has been testing its autonomous cars for many years in several U.S. cities including San Francisco, Phoenix, and Los Angeles, and recently announced a plan to begin operations in Miami. It also offers paid trips to customers who use a ridesharing app to book its robotaxis.
The company’s continuing expansion comes as General Motors recently announced it was ending funding for rival autonomous-vehicle firm Cruise, citing high costs, issues scaling the business, and increasing competition in the robotaxi market.