Uber Japan spokesperson Kay Hattori said, “Currently we are concentrating on partnerships with taxi companies in the country.”
“We would like to expand this nationwide,” she added, hinting further expansion.
Even though Uber’s hit taxi service has been banned in Japan, it operates its food takeaway delivery service in Tokyo, Osaka and two other cities in the country.
Japan’s prosperous $16-billion taxicab industry has been in the international company’s crosshairs for quite a long time, and if the pilot program succeeds, it could be a good lift for Uber over rival Lyft. In a packed industry where China’s Didi Chuxing and SoftBank Group Corp, and even giants such as Toyota and Sony Corp are planning various services partnering local taxi companies, it’s a tough road ahead for Uber, for sure.