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Sony launches a taxi-hailing app in Tokyo

techcrunch.com

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Re: Sony launches a taxi-hailing app in Tokyo

#3

Post by needle0 »

I've used JapanTaxi (mentioned in the article) a fair number of times, and while there's nothing wrong with the experience of the app, oftentimes the biggest competitor to these ride-hailing apps is the fact that Tokyo's roads are so densely populated with taxis cruising everywhere that it's often faster to just hail one passing by than to open an app on your phone.

I feel the Uber service itself has a sort of a 'premium' feeling around it in Japan, with the cars/staff/pricing being higher-class than the run-of-the-mill taxis you can hail. As such they don't seem to be used too often. I only use Uber/Lyft when traveling to the US; In Japan I come into contact with the brand much more often from the context of Uber Eats.

Re: Sony launches a taxi-hailing app in Tokyo

#4

Post by ekianjo »

rado wrote: post #2

Interesting, as Sony is usually very bad at UX (PlayMemories, choppy PS4 dashboard etc).

Sony is not "one company", they have tons of independent branches/divisions working separately on different projects, so the failure of one group does not infer the failure of another.

Re: Sony launches a taxi-hailing app in Tokyo

#8

Post by ginko »

needle0 wrote: post #3

I've used JapanTaxi (mentioned in the article) a fair number of times, and while there's nothing wrong with the experience of the app, oftentimes the biggest competitor to these ride-hailing apps is the fact that Tokyo's roads are so densely populated with taxis cruising everywhere that it's often faster to just hail one passing by than to open an app on your phone. I feel the Uber service itself has a sort of a 'pre…

> feel the Uber service itself has a sort of a 'premium' feeling around it in Japan, with the cars/staff/pricing being higher-class than the run-of-the-mill taxis you can hail.

Isn't the average Japanese taxi some big Toyota Crown sedan already? How much more premium than that can you go?

Re: Sony launches a taxi-hailing app in Tokyo

#10

Post by mseidl »

odiroot wrote: post #7
Vizarddesky wrote: post #6

Doesn’t matter, nobody will use it. Taxi service in japan is good enough to where this won’t be a big factor. Ride hailing services are much more expensive than taxi’s.

Are taxis there not trying to scam you as it is everywhere in the EU?

German taxis are fine.
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