Towards Standardization of Private Car Sharing, OURCAR Decides to Conduct Demonstration Project Commissioned by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's DX Promotion Project

TRILL., Inc. (Headquarters: Nagano City, Nagano Prefecture, Representative Director: Kengo Fujimori) has been commissioned by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's (MLIT) regional transportation DX promotion project "COMmmmONS" to conduct a "Standardization Survey of Car Sharing Models Utilizing Private Vehicles" starting in fiscal year 2026. Aiming to resolve transportation-deprived areas, it will formulate standard operating rules and systems for car sharing utilizing private vehicles (※1) as part of the MLIT project. In addition, it will develop mechanisms for utilizing leased vehicles, business use by corporate users, and vehicle provision by individual vehicle owners, expanding the area to Niigata and Nagoya in addition to Nagano Prefecture, where a demonstration was conducted last year. (OURCAR Service Page: https://ad.ourcar.app) ※1 Private vehicle: Under the Road Transport Act, any vehicle other than commercial vehicles (green or black license plates). Includes corporate company cars, personal cars, and leased vehicles. [Previous Demonstration Results] The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, at the "Regional Public Transportation Re-design Realization Conference," has announced a policy to fully utilize transportation resources such as private and company cars existing in the region, not just buses and taxis. Under this policy, OURCAR, as a platform enabling 24-hour unmanned car sharing of private vehicles, was commissioned by the MLIT COMmmmONS project in fiscal year 2025 and conducted a demonstration of car sharing utilizing private vehicles in four municipalities in Nagano Prefecture (Nagano City, Matsumoto City, Ueda City, and Hara Village). In addition to a contract flow that meets the legal requirements of a joint use agreement (※2) and a mechanism for actual cost settlement based on maintenance costs, it has realized 24-hour unmanned vehicle pickup and drop-off via key boxes within the system. - Participating Corporations: 37 companies - Corporate-provided vehicles: Approx. 104 units - Registered Users: Approx. 1,400 people - Usage via Joint Use (※3): 103 cases - 27% of users used the service multiple times, confirming user behavior indicating potential for continued use (Target: 60 individuals who used the service during the demonstration period) - In interviews with vehicle providers, the intention to continue providing vehicles averaged 4.25 on a 5-point scale (N=11, 100% responded "Agree" or "Somewhat Agree") - Post-operation workload was within approximately 1-3 hours per month, confirming high acceptance by corporations. - Received evaluations from municipal officials such as "Lower administrative costs and easier to implement compared to on-demand buses, etc." (N=4, Implementation and operational feasibility: Average 4.0) ※2 Joint Use Agreement: A system where vehicles owned by a corporation are shared with local residents or other corporations. Unlike paid rentals (rental cars), users also participate in the contract as "users" of the vehicle. ※3 Achievements for jointly used contract vehicles during the demonstration experiment period. [Towards This Year's Demonstration] While the effectiveness of private car sharing was confirmed in last year's demonstration, challenges for service expansion also became apparent. With corporate vehicles alone, provision locations tend to be concentrated around business sites, making a system where individually owned vehicles can also be provided for car sharing essential to cover the entire living area, including residential areas and around stations. Furthermore, while many corporations expressed a desire to lend out vehicles, leased vehicles have not been repurposed due to contractual restrictions, making the establishment of rules for utilizing leased vehicles an urgent task. Additionally, demand for business use from corporations has been confirmed, necessitating the development of a system that supports expense processing and authority management. [Overview of This Initiative] In the fiscal year 2026 demonstration, the COMmmmONS project by MLIT will undertake the following six initiatives: <1. Development of Rules and Systems for Utilizing Leased Vehicles> In addition to company cars, efforts will be made to create a system for utilizing leased vehicles for car sharing. Corporations (lessees) using leased vehicles will be able to lend them out to the community during their idle hours outside of business operations. This will lead to a reduction in the actual cost burden of leasing and increase mobility options for the region. For leasing companies (lessors), it will also provide a new value-added proposal to their lessees. <2. Construction of Car Sharing Functionality for Corporate Users> A new system will be established to allow corporations to use car sharing for business vehicles. This will provide an option for corporations that do not own company cars or have lease contracts to secure business vehicles only when needed, supporting the optimization of corporate vehicle costs in regional areas. <3. Expansion of Vehicle Provision by Individual Owners> In addition to corporate vehicles, the provision of individually owned vehicles for car sharing will be expanded. With the participation of individual owners, vehicles will be deployed in areas other than business sites, such as residential areas and around stations, aiming to create an environment where users can access car sharing more conveniently within their living areas. <4. Standardization of Operating Rules and Systems for Private Car Sharing> Based on the legal framework and system infrastructure for joint use agreements established last year, standardized operating rules and system specifications will be developed that can be adopted by other regions and businesses. The entire workflow from vehicle registration to reservation, usage, and settlement will be standardized, laying the foundation for expanding private car sharing nationwide. <5. Continuation of Company Car Provision by Corporations and Municipalities> The provision of company cars by corporations and municipalities, which saw 37 companies participate last year, will continue to be promoted. This mechanism, which reduces maintenance costs for corporations by utilizing idle vehicle time and secures mobility options for the region, will maintain and expand the base for vehicle supply. <6. Demonstrations in Multiple Areas> In addition to Nagano Prefecture last year, new demonstrations will begin in Niigata and Nagoya. By conducting verification in regions with different urban scales and transportation environments, we will confirm whether private car sharing can adapt to various regional characteristics. [Participation in This Demonstration and Service Usage] For this demonstration, we are recruiting companies, organizations, and individuals to participate in the following forms: - Corporations and municipalities owning company cars — Aiming to achieve both cost reduction and community contribution by utilizing idle time. - Leasing companies (lessors) — Participating in the joint use scheme as a value-added proposal to lessees. - Lessee corporations — Aiming to reduce actual costs by utilizing idle time of leased vehicles. - Individual vehicle owners — Aiming to reduce maintenance costs by lending out their private cars when not in use. For corporations: Inquiry Form For individual owners: OURCAR Service Page - Corporate users — Aiming to optimize vehicle costs by using business vehicles only when needed. - Individual users — Wanting to use nearby cars when needed, without owning a car. For corporations: Inquiry Form For individuals: OURCAR Service Page [Comments from Stakeholders] In last year's demonstration, approximately 110 corporate vehicles from 37 companies were used as regional transportation, and we gained a strong sense of the potential of the joint use model. However, there are limits to scaling vehicle supply nationwide with only company cars. This year, within the framework of COMmmmONS, we will work with the government to establish a joint use scheme for leased vehicles, while also building an environment for corporate users and a system for individual owners to provide vehicles, establishing a standard model that can be replicated in any region. [About COMmmmONS] "COMmmmONS (Code for Mobility Common Society)" is a regional transportation DX promotion project launched by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism in fiscal year 2025. It views regional mobility resources as a common societal infrastructure and promotes the creation and standardization of DX best practices through four pillars: services, data, management, and business processes. Official Website: https://www.mlit.go.jp/commmmons/ MLIT Press Release: https://www.mlit.go.jp/report/press/sogo12_hh_000511.html [About OURCAR] "OURCAR" is a peer-to-peer car sharing service. It is a system where car owners lend out their vehicles during times of non-use, and users can complete reservations, unlocking, and payments all through the app. It supports both "joint use agreements" and "paid rentals" under the Road Transport Act, enabling 24-hour unmanned operation. Service Site: https://ad.ourcar.app [Company Profile] Company Name: TRILL., Inc. Established: January 2023 Representative Director: Kengo Fujimori Headquarters Location: 2034-17 Kazama, Nagano City, Nagano Prefecture Business Content: Operation of car sharing service "OURCAR" HP: https://ad.ourcar.app [Inquiries Regarding This Matter] TRILL., Inc. Email Address: company@truereal.biz Inquiry Form: https://forms.gle/fPn5QNozEqiQpyyN9