https://phys.org/news/2018-05-uber-japan-taxi-hailing.html > Hailing a taxi rarely takes more than a few seconds in major Japanese cities and there has been a relatively sluggish uptake of services like Uber, where consumers order an unlicensed car via a smartphone app. > But Uber said in a statement Tuesday it would launch a pilot programme this summer to hook up tourists and residents in the western Awaji island with available taxi drivers.