Turtle Taxis enable passengers to take it slow

Japan's Turtle Taxi gives passengers the option to ride slowly to enjoy a more relaxing journey while also helping the environment.

Taxis typically pride themselves on getting their customers from A to B as efficiently as possible, but not all customers require the quickest journey. In the past we’ve seen the UK’s Kabuto Noodles offer free cab rides to hungover commuters, and now Japan’s Turtle Taxi gives passengers the option to ride slowly to enjoy a more relaxing journey while also helping the environment.

Created by the Sanwa Kotsu Group taxi service and currently operating in Yokohama, each Turtle Taxi comes with a button at the back of the driver’s seat. If passengers aren’t in a rush they can press the button to let the driver know they can slow down. As well as enjoying a more comfortable and less stressful ride, the scheme also enables cabbies to practice more eco-friendly driving practices. Rather than keeping the engine running at red lights, drivers can turn it off, and also accelerate more gradually when they set off again. According to the company, the scheme has already racked up over 6,000 km of eco driving so far.

Turtle Taxi enables commuters to choose a more environmentally-friendly way of taking a cab, and has proved surprisingly popular among Japanese users, with a 15 percent increase in the number of people requesting a slow ride. Could this scheme work in your part of the world?