Sony to develop a taxi-hailing system

With Kaz Hirai on the way out and Kenichiro Yoshida set to take the reins of the company, I have to wonder whose brainchild this service is. Here’s the scoop from Nikkei:

Five taxi operators will form a joint venture with Sony to build the platform. The aim is to dispatch taxis more efficiently by analyzing such factors as past rides, traffic and weather conditions, and event schedules.

Sony, which uses AI in such products as the Aibo robot dog, has been looking to raise its profile in both consumer and business applications of the technology — an effort that has seen it make investments in the U.S. and joint ventures in Japan.

In the taxi industry, it also appears to see an opportunity to provide digital payment services, which would create a steady stream of fee income over the long term. Sony’s alliance includes Tokyo-based operators Daiwa Motor Transportation, Hinomaru Kotsu, Kokusai Motorcars, Green Cab and the Checker Cab group.

Sony is not the only one vying to seize the initiative in Japan’s nascent market for cab-hailing platforms. App developer JapanTaxi announced a partnership with Toyota on Feb. 8 that will see the automaker invest 7.5 billion yen ($70 million) in the unit of Nihon Kotsu, one of the country’s largest taxi operators. In terms of fleet size — a major factor in convenience for users — this alliance leads with roughly 60,000 taxis. It, too, is working on an AI-powered dispatch system.