Japan has a shortage of drivers. So, Nissan plans driverless ride-share service

Nissan may have a solution for a shortage of drivers in Japan - self-driving cars that form a part of a fleet for ride-sharing taxi service. In a country that is ageing and ageing fast, the Japanese manufacturer is confident of rolling out the service in the next three years and has confirmed that a trial run will begin soon.

Nissan plans to roll out its autonomous vehicle ride-share service in Japan by fiscal 2027. This was confirmed by Kazuhiro Doi who is the Vice President ofNissan Research and Advanced Engineering. For this, a trial run will be carried out using 20 Serena-based cars in the Japanese city of Yokohama. Additionally, the company is in talks with government officials over safety and regulation-related matters for such technology.

Autonomous or self-drive vehicles have come under scrutiny in many parts of the world. In Japan though, the need for vehicles with such technological capabilities may be more than in other developed country anywhere else. “Japan is facing a big transportation-related problem, which will get bigger in the future. A time may come when there are no more drivers," Doi said during a briefing at the company headquarters in Yokohama. Taxi and bus services in several cities in the country have already started suffering due to an greying population that will render many ineligible to drive such vehicles.

But while autonomous vehicles may offer a solution, will it also lead to a bigger problem - that of safety?

It is reported that a committee has been formed by Japan's transport ministry which also involves local governments and related stakeholders to study and assess the feasibility of such vehicles while also drawing out the regulations that these would have to be subjected to.

(With inputs from Bloomberg)