Nissan will test its self-driving taxi service in Japan next year

Nissan wants to have its fully-automated ride service on the road in Japan by the early 2020s. The plan is to start with a "public field test" for the Easy Ride service in Yokohama. Nissan has partnered with technology company DeNa for the venture, and the hope is to have everything from pick-up to payment and drop-off handled via mobile app. If you'd rather take the scenic route to your destination, options will be available for that as well.

With the Tokyo Olympics looming in 2020, Nissan likely wants to have the kinks worked out by then. The autonomous Leaf EVs have been tested in Britain already, but Japan's roads might prove a bit more difficult than the various roundabouts we encountered during a drive in March. Sign-ups for the test are live now through January 15th.