Japanese car giant Nissan has announced it will begin testing autonomous “robo-taxis” in Yokohama from March.
Called Easy Ride, the vehicles will work alongside a mobile app that enables users to hail one of the cars as and when they need one.
Customers will also be able to select recommended local destinations and sightseeing routes should they be tourists, Nissan said.
The trial will run from March 5 to 18 and sees Nissan partnering with Japanese software firm DeNA.
“With ‘more freedom of mobility’ as its concept, Easy Ride is envisioned as a service for anyone who wants to travel freely to their destination of choice in a robo-vehicle,” Nissan said.
“The goal is to allow customers to use a dedicated mobile app to complete the whole process from setting destinations and summoning vehicles to paying the fare.”
Google, Intel, Uber and Tesla are among the US firms who are also testing driverless car technology, while several of the car giants, such as BMW and Audi have also tested the technology.
