Taxi!, Toyota NTP10 JPN

[martinfan5]

New kit coming from Aoshima went up for pre order this morning in Japan, and I can say,  we didnt see this one coming, I mean who would of guessed, and till about three hours ago, I had no idea this was even a thing , but now I gotta I have one.    The current estimated release date is showing for July and Japan pricing is around $25 and they are going to be two version, one with a white body, and one with a black body.

https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10605157

 

Edited April 8, 2019 by martinfan5

[Richard Bartrop]

Neat.  Worth getting just for the "What is it?" factor.

 

[BVC500]

hmmmm

[peteski]

That is an odd one, including the suicide passenger door.   I also don't get Japanese fascination for fender-mounted side mirrors.  I rather have that mirror  closer to my eyes than one mounted couple of feet away from me. It must be like peeking through a keyhole.

I also wonder if Uber and Lyft will eventually kill off the "real" taxis in Japan.

[Joe Handley]

3 minutes ago, peteski said:

That is an odd one, including the suicide passenger door.   I also don't get Japanese fascination for fender-mounted side mirrors.  I rather have that mirror  closer to my eyes than one mounted couple of feet away from me. It must be like peeking through a keyhole.

I also wonder if Uber and Lyft will eventually kill off the "real" taxis in Japan.

That's not a suicide door Pete, that's a van style slider on the passenger side!

Weird part thought, the driver side door is a conventional swing out door

[peteski]

Interesting . . .

[fumi]

2 hours ago, peteski said:

I also don't get Japanese fascination for fender-mounted side mirrors.  I rather have that mirror  closer to my eyes than one mounted couple of feet away from me. It must be like peeking through a keyhole.

I also wonder if Uber and Lyft will eventually kill off the "real" taxis in Japan.

There is one major point with fender mirrors on taxis and particularly chauffeur driven cars: the driver does not need to look over the passenger side to check the mirror.  You won't find them on regular cars any more.

Uber and Lyft will die in Japan before real taxis do.  Even if we put away the legality and liability concerns, the incentive to drive for them is very low, especially in the cities.  In here, unless you drive a Tesla you will not be able to breakeven.

Edited April 9, 2019 by fumi

[peteski]

1 hour ago, fumi said:

There is one major point with fender mirrors on taxis and particularly chauffeur driven cars: the driver does not need to look over the passenger side to check the mirror.  You won't find them on regular cars any more.

Uber and Lyft will die in Japan before real taxis do.  Even if we put away the legality and liability concerns, the incentive to drive for them is very low, especially in the cities.  In here, unless you drive a Tesla you will not be able to breakeven.

Thanks for the explanation, but I'm still a bit confused. So basically you want to see the passenger side mirror while still paying attention to the road directly in front of you, or is is just impolite to turn your head to the passenger side?

As far as the rides sharing (Uber, Lyft) go, isn't the liability covered by the companies themselves?  And why there is no incentive? Is it because the public transportation is so well developed that it just as fast and convenient to take trolley, bus, or a train?

[stitchdup]

29 minutes ago, peteski said:

Thanks for the explanation, but I'm still a bit confused. So basically you want to see the passenger side mirror while still paying attention to the road directly in front of you, or is is just impolite to turn your head to the passenger side?

As far as the rides sharing (Uber, Lyft) go, isn't the liability covered by the companies themselves?  And why there is no incentive? Is it because the public transportation is so well developed that it just as fast and convenient to take trolley, bus, or a train?

It may be like london where gas/diesel cars have to pay a charge to drive in certain areas,  while electric get free. Also the japanese trains are extremely punctual and appologise for being even one minute late and give you vouchers for employers to confirm the train is late (unlike most of the rest of the world where you expect the trains to be late so catch an earlier one). A quick google search on japanese trains will show some surprising facts about them.

[fumi]

26 minutes ago, peteski said:

Thanks for the explanation, but I'm still a bit confused. So basically you want to see the passenger side mirror while still paying attention to the road directly in front of you, or is is just impolite to turn your head to the passenger side?

As far as the rides sharing (Uber, Lyft) go, isn't the liability covered by the companies themselves?  And why there is no incentive? Is it because the public transportation is so well developed that it just as fast and convenient to take trolley, bus, or a train?

For the fender side mirror issue, both of your points apply.  Before 1983, the Japanese traffic law stipulated that all outside mirrors must be mounted on the fender for locally produced car, but imported cars were exempted.  The law was changed after years of protest from the Japanese manufacturers, but they remain popular choice for the taxis and company/official cars on the believe that the driver can keep the eyes on the road ahead, and more importantly avoid peeking at the passenger, when checking the mirrors.

Uber's insurance terms are quite murky.  The driver's own insurance will be voided when they accept fare from the passenger.  Uber promises to cover the injury or death insurance to the passenger or 3rd party only from the time when the ride is taken in the app to the time the passenger arrives at the destination. They specifically exclude damage to other vehicles or properties in an accident, and injury or death to the drivers.

Incentive-wise, the fare is simply not enough to cover fuel and maintenance cost.  Keeping a car is a major chore in big cities like Tokyo or Osaka, parking spaces are at a premium and you cannot register a car without proof of it.  It is also far more convenient to take public transit, most major cities have a very extensive subway and train network, the smaller ones have very good bus or tram service.  Meanwhile in the countryside everyone has a car and the demand for hired driving service is very low.

And when the public transport stops running at night, taking a cab is actually a pleasant experience.  The drivers are courteous and polite, they charge by the meter, and they don't deliberately take a longer route than necessary to drive up the fare.

[peteski]

Thanks for the very complete explanation. It is good to learn how life is on other countries.  I have visited Japan (Tokyo and Shizuoka City) back in 2005 and I was very impressed with the neatness and organization everywhere.

[Mike999]

5 hours ago, stitchdup said:

Also the japanese trains are extremely punctual and appologise for being even one minute late...

I was in Japan when the trains ran late, but nobody minded.  That was not long after the horrible Kobe earthquake in January 1995.  The govt. would seize trains at random, stuff them full of medical supplies and rescue workers and send them to Kobe.  We had to take the trains from Tokyo to Gifu Prefecture (the big Kawasaki Heavy Industries factory).  I had a lot of empathy for those earthquake victims. I lived in Los Angeles at the time...just a couple of miles from the epicenter of the January 1994 Northridge quake.  The Kobe quake struck almost exactly 1 year later.

[espo]

This looks like a very well designed Service or Taxi vehicle.  

[martinfan5]

Here is a fun fact , you are not wanted to open to the passengers doors yourself,  the doors electronically controlled by the driver and he will open and close the door, its consider rude for the passenger to open/close the door themselves.  

[Junkman]

The only thing you could consider rude in Britain are the cabbies.