Alexandru Arba
Research expert covering Japan
Mobility services in Japan - statistics & facts
With the dawn of the digital age, new products and sharing services have emerged in the transportation sector, promising convenience, affordability, and efficiency. While entrepreneurs forecast good market prospects, the Japanese government is left to evaluate how it will regulate and tax these products. One key concept, Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS), culminates in a single mobile app managing all means of transportation to achieve tailor-made mobility.
Sharing services have been particularly embraced in urban areas by local governments and consumers alike, but they still receive their fair share of skepticism and regulation. For years, Japanese authorities have been tackling the problem of abandoned bicycles. Accordingly, bicycle-sharing services must ensure that users park their bikes at designated places. The same applies to the few e-scooter-sharing companies participating in government-sanctioned field experiments in some larger cities. The e-scooter sharing industry is still under evaluation, with debate over the appropriate maximum speed, lane usage, and helmet use. Sharing a car ride is yet a different issue.
Opportunities and risks of mobility services
MaaS and the concept of a sharing economy suggest a more efficient and environmentally friendly use of resources. For Japan, such efficiency gains appear to be a means to cope with an aging society and depopulation in its rural areas. Seeing this potential in MaaS, the government’s “Smart Mobility Challenge” subsidizes pilot projects targeting regional mobility issues with technological approaches. On-demand services, backed by artificial intelligence (AI), could mitigate diminishing bus lines, for example.Sharing services have been particularly embraced in urban areas by local governments and consumers alike, but they still receive their fair share of skepticism and regulation. For years, Japanese authorities have been tackling the problem of abandoned bicycles. Accordingly, bicycle-sharing services must ensure that users park their bikes at designated places. The same applies to the few e-scooter-sharing companies participating in government-sanctioned field experiments in some larger cities. The e-scooter sharing industry is still under evaluation, with debate over the appropriate maximum speed, lane usage, and helmet use. Sharing a car ride is yet a different issue.
