Ana Holdings, one of the largest airlines in Japan, has formed a partnership with air taxi vendor Joby Aviation Inc. to bring aerial ridesharing to Japanese residents.
Toyota Motor Corp. has also joined the partnership to explore opportunities around ground-based transportation and how it can be used to enhance aerial ridesharing.
Joby is developing all-electric, five-seat aircraft with vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) capability. The aircraft has a maximum range of 150 miles, a top speed of 200 mph and a low noise profile that allows it to access buildings and the city without causing noise problems.
Ana Holdings and Joby will collaborate on developing new forms of transportation in Japan such as infrastructure, pilot training, flight operations, air traffic management, public acceptance and regulator requirements to operate. Ground-based transportation will be considered with Toyota spearheading the effort. The companies will have joint discussions with private companies as well as local and national governments to encourage adoption and regulations.
“Joby exists to help people save time while reducing their carbon footprint,” said JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby. “Japan offers us a spectacular opportunity to do just that with 92% of the population living in urban areas and Tokyo registering as one of the top 20 most congested cities in the world.”
According to Ana Holdings, aerial ridesharing has been rapidly gathering momentum in Japan as the country accelerates efforts to prepare for the 2025 World Expo, which will be held in the city of Osaka.
The air taxis will be operated by Joby through the Joby or Uber app in core U.S. markets. However, this partnership will allow the company to expand services to other countries.
