A Glimpse at Autonomous Taxis in Asia

Robot Taxi, a start-up company in Japan, has started testing its technology solution supporting driverless taxis on public roads, specifically, in Fujisawa, Japan, on March 29, 2016. During the road test, local residents are able to book a driverless taxi online or via a mobile app using their smartphone, summon it to their location, and have it drive them to a supermarket and back home. The road test uses Toyota’s Estima minivans equipped with Robot Taxi’s "Robovision" technology consisting of sensors, Lidar technology, 3D high-definition maps, and a data processing system. Robot Taxi aims to make driverless taxis commercially available by 2020 and to provide road transportation services during the Tokyo Olympic Games.

The company’s business model is to forge strategic partnerships with automotive companies and integrate their ADAS solutions supporting autonomous taxi  capabilities. Robot Taxi Inc., founded on May 28, 2015, is a joint venture between DeNA Co. and ZMP Inc.

Similar initiatives can be seen in Singapore, and Korea geared towards expanding the horizon of autonomous vehicles on public transportation such as taxi, and not limited to private passenger cars.

• South Korea – In the past six months, Seoul National University (SNU) Vehicle Intelligence Laboratory has started testing the features of an autonomous taxi (known as Snuber) in a school campus, specifically, navigating the 4,109 square meters of SNU at amaximum speed of 30 km per hour (or 18.6 mph) as per campus requirements, and has reported zero casualties. Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) solutions include detection of pedestrians in the walkway lane, turn lane assist, overtaking another car in a passing zone lane, etc. Further testing is yet to be undertaken in different environments (e.g., public roads). In addition, traffic light detection is also an area for improvement, since there are no full traffic lights on the campus.
• Singapore - nuTonomy, a start-up company, also started testing its ADAS solutions supporting autonomous taxis. Solutions include mapping, localization, automated parking, and assisting drivers when navigating complex road intersections. nuTonomy believes that driverless vehicles would reduce greenhouse gas emissions and traffic congestion. Based on a report prepared by Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2014, driverless taxis could contribute to more efficient usage of the roads, given that Singapore faces land constraints. The study showed that 300,000 driverless taxis could replace 780,000 traditional taxis operating in Singapore, and maintain a waiting time at a maximum of 15 minutes. This translates to an impressive 60% reduction in the number of taxis, which in turn, reduces traffic congestion and addresses the shortage of drivers. In addition to Singapore, nuTonomy is also conducting road tests in Minnesota, U.S., and in the U.K.

Singapore and Japan have acted as ecosystem catalysts in Asia. Their governments support the fast-track development of autonomous taxis wherein road infrastructure was allocated allowing autonomous vehicles (AV) to be trialed on public roads (e.g., One-North in Singapore was identified as test-bed for AV technology). This is vital for understanding the technical capabilities and infrastructure requirements of AV, which in turn, enhances the safety profile of AV when navigating public roads.The South Korean government has yet to allow autonomous vehicles to be tested on public roads; hence, Snuber’s tests are limited to campus areas only.

Indeed, driverless taxis offer various benefits such as enhancing mobility in Japan, particularly among the elderly, children, and residents in rural areas where public transportation is limited due to the shortage of drivers. In Singapore, autonomous taxis offer eco-friendly transportation and efficient use of the roads, addressing Singapore’s land and manpower constraints.

However, this scenario means driverless taxis will be travelling more frequently on public roads, making them more vulnerable to collisions with other vehicles, particularly traditional, non-autonomous vehicles,as well as with pedestrians.  Cyberattacks represent another issue requiring that vendors develop robust and secure platforms. The ecosystem needs to ensure that autonomous vehicles are equipped with reliable ADAS, precise and localized on-board maps, with real-time updates, and perform comprehensive road tests.