Uber’s business model relies on the average car owner. You sign up for its platform and pick up rides whenever you want to earn money on the side. That’s how its business runs across the globe but Japan is a rare exception. Its service hasn’t arrived there as regulations don’t allow non-professional drivers to transport paying customers. Nevertheless, it has been trying to establish its foothold in the country with taxi-hailing apps, which it has most recently launched for Nagoya.
Uber is launching an app which can be used to hail taxis operating in Nagoya. There’s no change to the regulations in Japan so the average car owner can’t sign up for Uber to drive paying passengers. The app will just allow users to hail a taxi driven by a professional taxi driver.
Uber is working on this with the Fuji Taxi Group that has been operating in the Nagoya area for more than 60 years. This move comes after the company launched a similar app for taxis as a pilot project on the island of Awaji near Osaka.
It’s difficult to say when the regulations might change in Japan to allow Uber to launch its full ride-sharing service. Until that happens, the company will simply team up with existing taxi companies to allow people to book rides easily.