Japan, 09 March 2021 – Mr Shigetaka Murase, CEO of WILLER Inc (Japan) has announced the launch of a new mobility service by the name "mobi" in MaaS Meeting 2021, a conference held in Keihanna Plaza, Japan.

WILLER's "mobi" is an on-demand mobility service available via a smartphone app. Due to the decrease in daily commuting and the increase of travel near home in view of the pandemic, this new service focuses specifically on short distance rides "within the 2 km radius from home".


5 main features of mobi :

① Pick up within 10 minutes
Regardless of weather conditions, the mobi community shuttle will pick you up within 10 minutes after you book for a ride with your smartphone. Alternatively, telephone reservation is also available for the elderly generation.

② Subscription service
This new on-demand mobility service will have a monthly subscription payment service. An example of the subscription service is as follows, the family representative who will be the main member is charged 5,000 yen (about S$61) per month, and for each additional member living in the same house, they can enjoy the plan by merely adding 500 yen (about S$6) per person only for a monthly usage. This is to refrain from the burden of needing to pay extra every time one travels more, in return to promote higher transportation and travel frequency for the whole family.

③ My driver
Depending on the area size, 2 to 5 vehicles will be dispatched per area with the same group of drivers that are familiar with the region. By having the same group of drivers, users feel safe riding with familiar faces, hence an extra sense of security for them to travel freely within the local community, especially when children use this service to ride to school or tuition center.

④ Streamlining and fulfilling all travel needs within the area
Other than public users, this service is catered to fulfill corporate needs as well as delivery. For example, WILLER's mobi can act as hotel and school transfers, which in return contribute to cost reductions as well as providing value-added service on top of existing business products or services.

⑤ Complementing public transportation for a seamless travel experience
WILLER's mobi will complement existing public transportation, in providing a seamless travel experience from the user's home to their final destination. The combined route searching function in the app allows users to search both mobi as well as other public transportation for a stress-free experience. If the short distance transfer exceeds the 2 km radius, taxis are also available as an option.


Mr Murase further elaborates on the reason for starting WILLER's mobi, "With telework becoming a norm, what used to be a two-hour commuting time is now available as free time for many people. Furthermore, people have the choice to live in any area without worrying about convenience to commute. They can use these extra hours in more effective ways, for example travelling around the area to complete certain tasks or chores, and these in return generate more business opportunities for the region. By making travelling and transportation easier within the region, we expect to see revitalisation of a region. Now, a bicycle or car which is accessible almost instantly, remains the main option for short distance travel. For mobi, we make availability to ride in 10 minutes as one of our important features, so that users can ride as soon as they want to travel around the region. In future, not only will users be able to live and travel conveniently without a private car, we also expect to solve the challenge of a serious shortage of drivers when people can travel again freely around 2024.”

"Mobility has always been perceived as a need for everyday travel and transportation. However, moving into the future, we see transportation creating a new “culture” in a region or city. Hence, I would like to present to you the lineup of the 5 features for our new mobi community mobility service," said Mr Murase.

Our service trial will start from March in Kyotango City, in northern Kyoto Prefecture. From May onwards, the service will be officially launched in Kyotango City in Kyoto, as well as Toshima Ward and Shibuya Ward in Tokyo. These will progressively be launched in the Southeast Asia (SEA) region too. We are actively looking for regional operators to oversee the regional service planning and operation and we are excited for service collaboration with various businesses.

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