The Intersection of Environment and Deregulation - The Challenge of the Wanko In Taxi Late 1990s

The Intersection of Environment and Deregulation - The Challenge of the Wanko In Taxi Late 1990s

The late 1990s in Japan was a time of intersecting deregulation and heightened environmental awareness. Against the backdrop of economic stagnation following the bursting of the bubble economy, the Japanese government promoted deregulation as a new industrial revitalization measure, allowing new entrants to enter the transportation and traffic sector. The cab industry had been protected by a framework of entry restrictions known as "supply-demand adjustment regulations," but a regulatory review around 1997 opened the way for new entrants. At the same time, the Kyoto Conference (COP3) in 1997 triggered a rapid increase in interest in environmental issues, and the reduction of exhaust emissions and energy conservation in urban transportation emerged as a social issue.

Against this backdrop, Assist Inc. came up with the "One-Coin Taxi" concept. At the press conference, the company announced its policy of introducing smaller 1,300cc vehicles instead of the conventional 2,000cc class, explaining that it would reduce the environmental burden by cutting the displacement by two-thirds. This drew attention as an attempt to combine ecology and convenience, rather than just a low-cost service.

Furthermore, the company has announced a policy of actively hiring retired senior citizens as drivers. This was a progressive idea at the time, as it allowed the company to utilize the driving experience of the elderly in local public transportation. In addition, he presented the concept of a "community volunteer cab" and the possibility of a social service to protect the means of transportation for local residents. This statement enlivened the press conference, not as a mere corporate strategy, but as a vision for the future that balances community and environmental conservation.

At the time, traffic congestion and air pollution caused by the spread of private cars were becoming increasingly serious in Japanese society, and "restructuring urban transportation" was an urgent issue. The "One-Coin Taxi" concept, with its low-cost and easy-to-understand fare structure, introduction of small vehicles with low environmental impact, and connection to employment of the elderly and local volunteer activities, was like a round-table discussion, speaking out about the "future of transportation".

In the transitional period of the late 1990s, this conference was a symbolic event in which a small company attempted to respond to a social issue.