Uber Japan, Japan Post, and the city of Kaga in Ishikawa Prefecture announced on the 29th that ride-share dispatch requests will be accepted at post office counters in the city, part of efforts to promote ride-sharing in which ordinary drivers transport passengers. The service begins on October 7. It will cover all 15 post offices in Kaga, where users will ask staff at the counter to arrange a ride and pay the fare in cash. By having staff handle requests directly, the service can be used even without a smartphone app. The city has offered a ride-share service using Uber's app since March 2024, but the hurdle was high for elderly people unfamiliar with operating smartphone apps. With securing transportation in rural areas becoming a challenge amid route bus cancellations and other cuts, Masaki Nomura, head of Japan Post's regional co-creation business division, said at a news conference on the 29th, "We will become a new gateway for regional transportation."
JAPAN POST HOLDINGS Co., Ltd.Japan Post will accept ride-share dispatch requests at its 15 Kaga post offices, creating a new service use case for its counters.
Uber Japan expands its ride-share service in Kaga by adding post office counter dispatch, broadening access beyond its app.
