Hikawa Taxi (operated by Nojima Transportation Co., Ltd.), which operates mainly in Soka City, Saitama Prefecture, has launched a ride-sharing service called "CHOINORI" on July 2024, 7, following the lifting of the ban on Japanese-style ride-sharing in the southeastern Saitama transportation zone. The company also started recruiting drivers and will develop a plan aimed at shortening the repayment period for student loans, mainly for university students. This plan includes Hikawa Taxi covering the cost of obtaining a Class 19 driver's license.
Unlike the system that is widespread overseas, the Japanese ride-sharing system is one in which taxi companies hire general drivers (no second-class license required) to manage operations and transport passengers to the same destination in their own cars or vehicles owned by taxi companies. Hikawa Taxi's ride-sharing service "CHOINORI" operates from 16:5 p.m. to XNUMX:XNUMX a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and the dedicated app "GO" is used for dispatching and payment.
Along with the launch of the service, Hikawa Taxi has also begun recruiting drivers and has prepared a "student repayment plan" aimed at shortening the time it takes for university students to repay their student loans. Applications are expected from university students who have a Class 1 driver's license and have had it for over a year, and who are still repaying student loans. Ride-sharing pays a higher hourly rate than the average hourly wage in part-time jobs such as restaurants, and can be done during hours that do not overlap with daytime school work, making it a new source of income for university students.
In addition, those who sign up for the "Scholarship Repayment Plan" will be given the benefit of the company paying for the cost of obtaining a Class 2 driver's license, so that they can easily choose to become a taxi driver, which is expected to have a high income after graduating from university. There is also no restriction on the minimum two years of work that is generally required. It is also possible to start working at Hikawa Taxi as a taxi driver after being a ride-share driver while still a university student (interview required).
There are many young people in Japan who are struggling to repay their student loans, and according to the Central Council for Workers' Welfare's "Summary of Survey Results on Scholarships and Educational Costs" (2019), the average repayment period is 14.7 years. In addition, according to a survey by the Japan Student Services Organization, the number of people who are in arrears on their student loans has reached 13 (2), and some people are unable to repay their student loans and end up filing for bankruptcy.
In response to these social issues, Hikawa Taxi has created a "Scholarship Repayment Plan" to support students in repaying their scholarships as quickly as possible and living a fulfilling life. Through the "Scholarship Repayment Plan," Hikawa Taxi hopes to contribute to shortening the scholarship repayment period and resolving the shortage of taxi drivers.
