Nissan Expands Autonomous Ride Pilot in Kobe, Tests Remote Fleet Monitoring from Yokohama

Nissan is preparing to broaden its autonomous ride service in Kobe’s historic Nada Gogo sake-brewing district this December, introducing smartphone-based booking alongside a larger operational footprint, the company has confirmed. The move precedes a planned paid service launch in 2027 and signals the automaker’s incremental push toward commercializing automated transport in urban Japan.

The December pilot, scheduled to run Tuesdays through Fridays from 8 to 18 December 2026, will deploy Serena-based vehicles equipped with Level 2 automation, with a safety driver remaining on board throughout the trial. Ride applications are already open to the public. Crucially, the trial will also evaluate whether a single monitoring site in Yokohama can supervise vehicles operating simultaneously across both Kobe and Yokohama — a technical and logistical question that could reshape how future autonomous services are staffed and financed.

That remote oversight component may prove the most commercially significant element of the project. Nissan anticipates that having one facility oversee vehicles in Kobe alongside Yokohama’s Minato Mirai and Kannai districts would reduce operating costs for later services and ease the burden on local communities hosting the operations. For any operator running multiple service zones, this cost equation is central to scaling autonomous mobility beyond isolated pilots.

The project builds on field tests conducted during fiscal 2025 and aims to assess how automated transport can serve tourists, gain public acceptance, and contribute to regional revitalization efforts. With a human driver still behind the wheel, the service remains a considerable distance from fully driverless operation — Nissan has targeted 2030 for full commercial deployment in the Nada Gogo area.

Kobe City is administering the program, with Moplus providing operational support. The Nada Gogo Sake Brewers Association is contributing pick-up and drop-off locations and investigating ways rides could connect with local breweries. The initiative sits within broader national programs led by Japan’s Digital Agency and the transport ministry to commercialize automated driving services, and Nissan has indicated plans for additional pilots in other regions.