Japan's Robot Taxi announced Thursday that it will invite residents to try out taxis that capable of driving on their own on public roads in Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture early next year, reported The Japan Times.
The Tokyo-based firm will begin its unmanned taxi experiment in 2016, driving residents from their homes to local grocery stores about two miles away. Robot Taxi stated that an attendant will sit in the driver's seat for safety reasons, according to The Wall Street Journal.
While the Kanagawa Prefecture Government conducted a similar experiment before on its highways, this new trial will test the automated cars on local roads and with residents.
"I think this is quit amazing," Governor Yuji Kuroiwa told reporters. Robot Taxi's trial may be the first test worldwide in which driverless cars offer residents rides to go shopping, reported The Japan Times.
Shinjiro Koizumi, the son of the former Prime Minister Junichiro, spoke at an event Thursday afternoon to promote the automated taxi experiment, WSJ reported. "There are a lot of people who say it's impossible, but I think this will happen faster than people expect," he said.
Robot Taxi plans on using the experiment to promote innovation and startup businesses. The company is also set on commercializing driverless transportation services by 2020 in areas where buses and trains are not available and sees it as a benefit to everyone from local residents to international travelers.
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