14 DAY TRIAL // More often than not, folks expect cab drivers to take them to their destination as fast as possible. However, there are some people who prefer a peaceful and smooth ride over a fast one that might make them feel like they're traveling in a tumble dryer.
It was for these people that Japan-based Sanwa Kotsu Group created a taxi service that is all about taking people anywhere they might want to go as slowly and as gently as possible.
The peculiar taxi service has been around for quite a while now. It's currently operational in Yokohama, Japan's second largest city by population, and the folks behind the Sanwa Kotsu Group say that people have taken quite a liking to it.
More precisely, they say that, as of recently, the number of requests for this one service has increased by as much as 15%. Consequently, the Sanwa Kotsu Group is considering bringing the taxi service to several other cities in Japan as well.
Introducing the Japanese Turtle Taxi
Seeing how its working agenda boils down to offering customers peaceful rides, the Sanwa Kotsu Group's peculiar service is referred to as the Japanese Turtle Taxi, Oddity Central informs.
Of the 500 cabs that the Group currently operates in the city of Yokohoma, 10 are designated to act as Turtle Taxis. Given the recent boost in the service's popularity, chances are this number will very soon increase.
It is understood that, when getting into a Turtle Taxi, a customer must press a button sporting the label “yukkuri,” which translates as “slow.” As soon as this button is pressed, an illustration of a turtle appears right next to the driver and a calm musical chime starts playing.
To make sure that customers of the Japanese Turtle Taxi enjoy the smoothest of rides, drivers make sure to accelerate and decelerate as gently as traffic conditions allow them. Besides, they make sure not to shake their passengers around when making sharp turns.
“The starts and stops are very smooth because there is no jarring movement. It is perfect for those times when I don’t want to have my sleeping child woken up,” a customer commented on this service in an interview.
Plans for the future
The folks behind the Sanwa Kotsu Group hope that, over the course of the following year, they will manage to implement this system in all the cabs now operating in the city of Yokohoma.
To achieve this goal, they will have to train their drivers to focus more on the wellbeing of the passengers and less on reaching their destination as fast as possible.
Should things go according to plan, it will not be long until the Japanese Turtle Taxi makes an appearance in other Japanese cities like Saitama, Kanagawa, and Tokyo.
If we're gonna be honest, we should probably admit that several other urban areas scattered all across the world could sure use such a taxi service as well.