Japanese Taxi Companies Switching To Minivans

Above, a current sedan-style Tokyo taxi cab in Roppongi. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Getting in and out of Japanese taxi cabs have never been a problem for me. But such may not be the case for other people who may be bigger than I or the elderly.

Japan's taxi cab companies are going to switch to minivans to accommodate larger and elderly people.

According to The Japan News:

The standard vehicle models for taxis are expected to switch from sedans to minivans with a ceiling height 18 to 45 centimeters higher, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned. 

With the arrival of an aging society, the taxi industry and automakers have decided to give greater consideration to ensuring that the elderly can get into and out of taxis more easily. 

Another factor is the rising number of foreign tourists ahead of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics set for 2020. Foreign visitors tend to be bigger than the average Japanese, so taxi firms also want to increase their level of comfort by giving them more headroom.

The vehicles that Japanese car makers are planning to market for taxis are the Toyota JPN Taxi Concept (a hybrid van) and Nissan's NV200 Vanette minivan.

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