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GO and Waymo Set 2027 Target for Driverless Tokyo Taxis

GO Inc. and Alphabet's Waymo have signed a deal to move from supervised test rides to a driverless taxi service in Tokyo, aiming to launch Japan's first Level 4 commercial robotaxi operation in 2027.

Sep 15, 20262 min readGO Inc.581A
Illustration of a taxi fitted with a rooftop sensor dome at a dispatch yard, representing the move toward driverless robotaxi testing in Tokyo.

GO Inc. (TSE Growth: 581A), operator of the GO taxi-hailing app, said its board resolved on September 15, 2026 to sign a collaboration agreement the same day with Waymo LLC, the Alphabet-owned autonomous driving company. The agreement moves the pair from supervised testing toward driverless commercial service, with a target of launching what GO calls Japan's first Level 4 autonomous taxi service in Tokyo sometime in 2027.

The two companies have run public-road tests in seven Tokyo wards since 2025, a separate arrangement carried out with Nihon Kotsu Co., the taxi operator, with a Nihon Kotsu driver riding along in each car. GO said those supervised trials have progressed smoothly, and the new agreement is meant to shift the project toward removing that safety driver for ordinary customers.

Under the deal, GO becomes the connective layer between Waymo and Japan's taxi industry: it will coordinate with regional taxi operators, design how Waymo's self-driving system integrates with local dispatch practice, and sell rides through its own GO app. Waymo supplies the driving technology itself, along with the operational infrastructure and vehicle-management systems needed to expand the fleet.

Who does what in the Tokyo robotaxi deal
Based on GO Inc.'s September 15, 2026 disclosure.
PartyRole
GO Inc.Coordinates with regional taxi operators, designs the integration of Waymo's technology into Japan's taxi environment, and sells rides through the GO app.
WaymoProvides the autonomous driving technology, operational infrastructure, vehicle-management systems, and expertise to help the service scale.

Waymo, founded on December 13, 2016 and led by co-chief executives Tekedra Mawakana and Dmitri Dolgov, disclosed almost nothing about its own finances in the filing. GO said Waymo asked that its capital, major shareholders, and financial results stay confidential, and the notice states the two companies have no capital, personnel, or trading relationships. GO also told investors it expects the agreement to have only a minor effect on its earnings for the current fiscal year.

For GO, the wager is that acting as the app-layer partner for a global autonomous-driving operator is worth more than any near-term financial payoff, which by the company's own account will have only a minor effect on its earnings this fiscal year.