Don’t panic if you miss the last train—20 Tokyo convenience stores now offer “taxi-hailing services”!

▲ Japanese taxi. (Photo / courtesy ofJapan Transportation Co., Ltd.’s officialwebsite, the same below)

Travel Center / Comprehensive report

Japan’s public transportation system is well-developed, and you can often reach your destination directly by subway. But there may still be times when you need to take a taxi. Japan Transportation Co., Ltd. has partnered with FamilyMart to launch a taxi-hailing service at 20 stores in Tokyo starting mid-February, allowing passengers to wait for their taxis safely at the convenience store.

Although FamilyMart has offered a dedicated phone-based taxi-hailing service at its stores in Hiroshima and Fukuoka prefectures since 2012, the new trial service in Tokyo features a dedicated tablet. Passengers simply press the call button—there’s no need to state their location—and the tablet also displays the estimated arrival time of the taxi.

▲ Illustration of the taxi-hailing screen.

Japan Transportation Co., Ltd. stated that this convenience store taxi service primarily targets female passengers, elderly passengers, and business travelers. It also leverages the 24-hour operation of convenience stores as waiting spots, providing a simple and safe environment for passengers.

%The service will initially be available at 20 selected stores.