Honda Mobility Solutions Co., Ltd. (HMS), a Honda subsidiary for mobility service (MaaS) business in Japan, today announced it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with two transportation (e.g. taxi and limousine) service providers in Japan, namely Teito Motor Transportation Co., Ltd. (Teito) and kokusai motorcars Co., Ltd. (km Group) to engage in specific discussions about the future of MaaS business in Japan. With an aim to launch an autonomous vehicle mobility service in central Tokyo in the mid-2020s, HMS will study and discuss various matters with the two companies including relevant laws and regulations, service designs and a division of roles and responsibilities among collaborating partners.
Honda is aiming to roll out its MaaS service in Japan in the mid-2020s using the Cruise Origin, a vehicle Cruise, General Motors and Honda are jointly developing exclusively for use in an autonomous vehicle mobility service.
HMS is responsible for such Honda MaaS business operations in Japan and strives to offer new on-demand driverless mobility services to resolve various traffic/transportation-related issues in urban areas, offering new forms of convenience and new value for its customers and society. To this end, based on the MoU, HMS will join forces with Teito and km Group to explore how autonomous vehicle mobility services can be offered as safe, convenient and comfortable services customers can use with peace of mind.
Preparing for the start of service in central Tokyo, Honda and HMS will continue to strengthen coordination and collaboration with all stakeholders including transportation service providers and local municipalities while also planning to conduct various testing programs including the testing of autonomous driving technologies.
SOURCE: Honda
