Driverless rides in Sakai, Japan

Services in Sakai

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newmo: newmo, a Japanese taxi company that also builds self-driving software, has been running robotaxi tests in Sakai, Osaka, since late April 2026 in Lexus RX cars, around Minato Sakai Green Hiroba and the Sakai-hama waterfront. Sakai is one of three places Japan's Digital Agency picked in March 2026 as early commercial areas for autonomous taxis. The tests collect driving video to train newmo's system, with a safety driver aboard. newmo aims for Level 4 approval in fiscal 2027 and commercial Level 4 rides in a limited area in fiscal 2028, still with a driver aboard at first. KDDI took a stake in newmo on Nov 6, 2026 and will supply its network, AI computing, remote monitoring and positioning. No rides are offered yet.

Latest updates

• Nov 6, 2026 KDDI invests in newmo, aiming for paid robotaxi rides in Sakai in 2028 newmo and KDDI joint release Officially verified

1 older update is in the archive for members

Questions

Can I ride today?

newmo: No public rides. No passenger service is available to the public here.

How do I book?

newmo: No public booking channel listed.

Is anyone in the driver’s seat?

newmo: A safety supervisor rides along.

Sources and limitations

• newmo · prtimes.jp · Last verified Nov 9, 2026Added from newmo's and KDDI's own releases; not yet in the coverage sheet. Testing only: no public rides or fares. newmo has not published a test route or fleet size; the marker is Sakai's city centre, and the tests run on the Sakai-hama waterfront to the west. The April release describes data collection with a safety driver; newmo has not said when its cars began driving themselves.

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