SWAT Mobility Japan K.K. has started providing its artificial intelligence-powered on-demand transport system for a new Yokohama community mobility service. The service, called Furatto Hazawa/Kamihoshikawa, is scheduled to launch on October 1, 2026, across parts of Kanagawa Ward and Hodogaya Ward. It is designed to help residents overcome difficult access to nearby stations and bus stops caused by steep roads and narrow streets.
Addressing local mobility challenges
Yokohama City has been advancing its Minna no Odekake Kotsu initiative, which introduces Odekake Shuttle services to neighborhoods where daily travel for shopping and medical visits is inconvenient. In the Hazawa Minami and Kamihoshikawa district, large elevation differences make it hard for residents to reach the nearest railway stations and bus stops. Local stakeholders therefore explored an on-demand shared ride model that could operate effectively across a road network with many narrow streets.
Operating schedule and reservation process
The Furatto Hazawa/Kamihoshikawa service is scheduled as a two-year demonstration beginning October 1, 2026. It will run Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to noon and from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., excluding public holidays and the year-end and New Year period. Riders can reserve pickup time, date, and spots through a mobile app or by phone, with instructional videos available on the Yokohama City website.
Fares and coverage area
Fares are set at 400 yen per ride for adults and 200 yen for elementary school students. Senior pass holders pay 200 yen, while welfare pass and special ticket holders ride free. The service area includes 41 pickup and drop-off spots, with 10 in Kanagawa Ward, 28 in Hodogaya Ward, and 3 in other locations as of September 18, 2026.
Optimized routing for difficult terrain
SWAT Mobility Japan is providing a proprietary dynamic routing algorithm designed to optimize shared rides with a small number of vehicles. The system incorporates high-precision road network data from Zenrin and machine-learning-based travel speed information, allowing efficient operations despite the district's narrow roads and elevation changes. SWAT Mobility says it adjusts more than 200 customizable parameters to maximize ride-sharing rates and passenger counts.
Continuous improvement and local governance
The company also plans to continuously analyze mobility data, including reservation completion rates and ride time patterns, to refine the service in line with local demand. The operating entity is the Yokohama Next Generation Transportation System Promotion Council. The project forms part of Yokohama City's broader effort to establish new community transport options through its Odekake Shuttle program.
About SWAT Mobility Japan
SWAT Mobility provides on-demand transport operations, bus route analytics, and logistics delivery optimization to address movement challenges for people and goods. The company, headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, was founded in 2020 and is led by representative director Masashi Suehiro. It states that its routing algorithm, which enables multiple passengers and goods to share vehicles efficiently with a minimal fleet, is recognized as world class, and it pursues a vision of moving more with less.
Yokohama's deployment reflects growing interest in on-demand mobility as a practical response to gaps in fixed-route public transit. By combining dynamic routing with detailed road data, the project aims to make daily travel easier for residents in areas where geography and street layout create barriers. Over the two-year demonstration, the service will provide useful evidence on how similar systems can be adapted to other communities facing comparable challenges.