Sony Forms Alliance With Cabs as Uber Steps Up Japan Presence

Sony creates a joint venture with six taxi operators in Japan
The service will use Sony’s payment, demand prediction tech

Traffic travels on roads in Osaka, Japan, on Saturday, June 18, 2016. Japanese shares headed for their first decline in four days on thin volumes ahead of the U.K. vote on whether to stay in the European Union.Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg

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By Pavel Alpeyev

February 20, 2018 at 4:21 AM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Sony Corp. is jumping into the ride-hailing fray.

The Japanese electronics maker plans to form a joint venture with six taxi operators in Japan this spring, according to a statement on Tuesday. The alliance comes as Uber Technologies Inc., the world’s biggest ride-hailing startup, is in talks with another cab company as it tries to build its presence in the country.