Nissan’s 2030 goal for Kobe shows how long autonomous services can take to move from supervised trials to full commercial operation
Nissan will widen its autonomous ride service in Kobe’s Nada Gogo sake-brewing district in December, adding smartphone booking and a larger operating area ahead of paid rides in 2027. This year’s trial will also test whether one site in Yokohama can watch over vehicles in both cities in real time.
The pilot runs from Tuesday to Friday between 8 and 18 December 2026, using Serena-based Level 2 development vehicles with a safety driver aboard. Applications to ride are now open.
Building on field tests in fiscal 2025, the phase will gauge how automated transport can help tourists get around, win public acceptance and support regional revival. With a driver still at the wheel, the service remains some way from driverless, and Nissan has set 2030 for full commercial operation in the district.
Remote oversight may matter most commercially: Nissan expects one site covering Kobe and Yokohama’s Minato Mirai and Kannai districts to make later services leaner to run and lighten the load on host communities. Any operator with several service areas faces that cost question.
Kobe City is administering the project and Moplus is supporting operations. The Nada Gogo Sake Brewers Association is supplying pick-up and drop-off points and exploring how rides could tie in with local breweries.
The work forms part of national programmes run by Japan’s Digital Agency and transport ministry to commercialise automated driving services. Nissan plans further pilots in other regions.
Source: Nissan
Source: www.automotiveworld.com
