However, the company’s latest product which has just been launched in Tokyo is quite different though since it comes in the form of a taxi-hailing app called S.Ride. If you think that the app is something like Grab over here in Malaysia, you are almost right except that ride-sharing services are not legal in Japan which means that S.Ride only covers taxi. The app is run by a company named Minnano Taxi, which is a joint venture between Sony, Sony Payment Services, and six taxi companies in Tokyo. According to Sony’s press statement, the total number of taxis available through the combination of these five taxi companies exceed 10,000 taxis. This is indeed an interesting move by the Japanese electronics giant which traditionally focused more on physical products than services. Given the infancy of e-hailing industry in Japan as well as the arrival of the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo next year, this could be fruitful for Sony. (Source: S.Ride / Sony Japan via CNET)
