Narita Airport Asks Tourists to Use Taxi Apps, Adds More Large Taxis

Taxi stand
Narita Airport and Chiba Prefecture want travelers to rely more on taxis - and they want you using ride-hailing apps to do it.

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More tourists are flowing into Japan through Narita Airport than ever. To help reduce congestion, officials are asking travelers not to hail a taxi but to use taxi apps instead.

Narita International Airport Corporation (NAA) and Chiba Prefecture, where NAA is based, say that the airport saw a record 20 million domestic and foreign travelers last year. The demand is putting a strain on taxi services, as it has across all major cities in Japan.

Japan has seen a spike in so-called “white taxis,” or unlicensed taxi services, with individuals using overseas websites to arrange taxi bookings using private cars in Japan. Customers hailing taxis manually can also slow down service at the airport, as the language barrier can make it difficult to arrange destinations or resolve fare disputes.

To keep things flowing smoothly, NAA and Chiba are asking travelers when possible to use taxi-hailing apps instead of grabbing a taxi at a taxi stand. Officials say using taxi apps reduces confusion around fares and ensures travelers get to their intended destinations.

Chiba also has another motive for getting tourists to use taxis: It wants to keep more of them in the prefecture. Chiba governor Kumagai Toshihito says that there are many tourist spots in Chiba Prefecture that aren’t well-served by public transit – and the prefecture wants to do more to introduce incoming tourists to these hidden gems.

The move ties in to Japan’s overall efforts to get tourists to spread out and see more of the country rather than concentrate in the nation’s big cities. While Chiba is a primary transit point for travelers, for example, tourists only spend 0.3 nights per person at hotels in the prefecture. By contrast, Tokyo averages 5.0 nights per inbound traveler.

Narita officials say they’re also working to increase taxi capacity around the airport. The airport has raised the number of taxis during the day from 180 to 203. The airport is also operating 386 taxis between the hours of 12am and 5am, when public transit doesn’t run.

The airport is also adding larger cars to accommodate traveler’s huge suitcases, which can clog up public spaces like buses and trains. It’s increased the number of large-form taxis from 23 to 66.

How to hail a taxi at Narita

Narita and Chiba officials are also embarking on a campaign to increase awareness around taxi apps for travelers.

While Uber works in Japan for hailing licensed taxis, Narita and Chiba will also be touting the Go Taxi app. As we covered last year, foreign travelers without a domestic phone number can now register with and use Go, which supports multiple languages, freely during their stay in Japan.

If you want to travel from one of Japan’s major airports in style, we also recommend checking out the luxury airport taxi service from our friends at Global Platform (affiliate link). That, paired with the Go Taxi app for general travel around Japan, will ensure you can always get where you want to go on your trip, even when public transit is inconvenient or not operating.

That said, if you’re landing at Narita and going to a destination in Tokyo’s 23 wards, be advised that it’s a very expensive taxi ride. Taking a shuttle bus during the day, which is more affordable and can generally accommodate your suitcases, will be a more economical solution.

For tourists traveling more lightly, the Narita Express is also a great option. You can take the NEX to the stop closest to your destination and then call a taxi to your hotel.

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