Didi Debuts Taxi-Hailing Service in Japan
Xu Wei
DATE:  Sep 27 2018
/ SOURCE:  Yicai
Didi Debuts Taxi-Hailing Service in Japan Didi Debuts Taxi-Hailing Service in Japan

(Yicai Global) Sept. 28 -- Didi Mobility Japan, the joint venture between leading Chinese ride-hailer Didi Chuxing and multinational conglomerate Softbank, has launched a new app for ordering taxis in the Japanese city of Osaka.

The service will first cover Osaka's downtown and southern Senshu area, which includes Kansai International Airport, the Beijing-based firm said in a statement. Didi Japan plans to expand the service to Kyoto, Fukuoka, Tokyo and other major cities in the near future.

Worth USD13.3 billion, Japan is the world's third-largest taxi market. Its 240,000 licensed vehicles serve 1.6 billion passengers a year. With a population of 8.83 million, Osaka is the largest city in Didi's growing international network, which also includes Australia and Mexico.

To capitalize on surging demand from Chinese tourists, Didi's existing users from China's mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan will be able to hail a taxi in Osaka using their native app, which now includes real-time Chinese-Japanese text message translation and bilingual customer support.The JV has signed up 10 taxi firms such as Daiichi Koutsu Sangyo, Japan's largest taxi fleet operator. The local partners will use Didi's artificial intelligence-powered online management and dispatch system to improve efficiency, increase drivers' incomes, and provide more flexible travel options.

At the launch of Didi Japan in July 2018, Didi Chuxing President Jean Liu reaffirmed the company's commitment to deepening and widening collaboration with all sector players to assist in smart city programs across Japan and Asia.

Editor: William Clegg

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Keywords:   Didi,Japan,Osaka