Glitches or not Nissan starts testing semi-autonomous rides

Japan - Starting next month, Nissan will be testing on regular roads what it calls "a robo-vehicle mobility service."

Easy Ride service

The service is Called Easy Ride. It uses a cell-phone app to book semi-autonomous driven rides.

Nissan demonstrated the service on Friday. It was developed in a partnership with Japanese mobile game provider DeNA Co., which has been working on driverless bus and delivery services.

But Easy Ride won't necessarily be easy if poor internet connections prevent it from working. The Japanese automaker hopes to roll it out as a commercial service in the early 2020s. Details, including pricing, are undecided.

For now, Easy Ride will be limited to a 4.5km course that starts from Nissan headquarters and winds through a shopping mall area in this port city.