Uber Technologies and 日の丸交通 have announced that they have entered into an operating partnership for robotaxi pilot operations in Tokyo. Operating robotaxis requires compliance with regulations, including the acquisition of operating rights, and 日の丸交通 will initially handle the practical operations as the operating entity.
Uber and 日の丸交通 have entered into an operating partnership in anticipation of robotaxi pilot operations in Tokyo in the second half of 2026. The robotaxis will be offered on Uber's platform, while 日の丸交通 will handle operations management, vehicle depots, maintenance, charging and monitoring of vehicle operations.
Under Japan's Road Transportation Act, robotaxi operations require a license for general passenger car transportation services, and the acquisition of operating rights may pose a challenge. Restrictions on new market entrants, including the expansion of quasi-specified areas in Tokyo, make cooperation with taxi operators a natural option for market expansion.
日の丸交通 plans to hold the operating rights and manage the service, initially using a safety-driver model in which professional drivers ride in the vehicles. A fully driverless service is expected to be introduced in stages in the future.
This project overlaps in some respects with existing collaborations involving Waymo, Tier IV and 日本交通, suggesting that robotaxi deployment in Japan will require cooperation among multiple operators and autonomous-driving developers. Attention will turn to how operating rights are handled and how these partnership models develop.