Hinomaru Kotsu and NearMe have entered into an agreement for a strategic business alliance.
SmartShuttle, a wholly owned subsidiary of NearMe, will transfer its vehicles and employees to Hinomaru Kotsu Senju, a Hinomaru Kotsu Group company, for integrated operations.
Hinomaru Kotsu will be responsible for driver recruitment, vehicle management, and maintaining regulatory compliance systems, while NearMe will handle demand creation and provide the system. The companies aim to accelerate recruitment, stabilize supply capacity, and improve service quality, while expanding their scale through the creation of new demand via advance reservations and ride-sharing, as well as the development of products and services that can be extended to a variety of use cases and regions.
Since August 2019, NearMe has offered its “Airport Shuttle” airport transfer service, which uses proprietary AI to provide optimal routing and connect passengers door-to-door from their departure point to their destination. In January 2024, it established SmartShuttle and began operating transportation services in-house. While the company says its in-house operations have helped stabilize service supply during late-night and early-morning hours and accelerated product development by deepening its understanding of on-site operations, it concluded that a larger operational base and stronger driver recruitment capabilities were needed to further expand the service. It therefore determined that making use of the recruitment capabilities, operational management systems, and infrastructure developed by existing transportation operators would be the optimal approach.
NearMe said it will also continue to promote collaboration with taxi operators it has partnered with throughout Japan.
