"Taxi Mode" for CAR NAVITIME and JR Central Tokaido & San-yo Shinkansen Timetable App are Awarded the GOOD DESIGN AWARD 2025
Tokyo, Japan - October 15, 2025 - NAVITIME JAPAN (President and CEO: Keisuke Onishi, Head Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo) has been awarded the GOOD DESIGN AWARD 2025 (operated by the Japan Institute of Design Promotion) for two entries this year.
The services awarded are:
1. "Taxi Mode" in CAR NAVITIME (Car navigation feature customized for taxi drivers)
2. JR Central Tokaido & San-yo Shinkansen Timetable App (joint entry with Central Japan Railway Company)
Descriptions of the awarded services and their evaluations are as follows.
1. "Taxi Mode" in CAR NAVITIME
(Category: Application, software for the general public / apps for smartphones and tablets)
We launched a "Taxi Mode" in the CAR NAVITIME app, based on feedback from taxi drivers. Routes reflecting experienced drivers' know-how, as well as essential information such as no-pickup zones, last train times, and street names, are all shown on the map. These features will help provide a safe and reliable work environment for drivers of various experience and help address driver shortages.
◯ Comments by the review board (translated by NAVITIME JAPAN)
Amidst the declining number of taxi drivers, coupled with labor shortages and an aging workforce, this car navigation system successfully serves as a dependable ally for new taxi drivers by providing information focused on specific needs. This includes displaying areas where passenger pickup is prohibited and offering route searches tailored to passenger requests.
Furthermore, we highly commend its attention to social value like enhanced safety and improved service quality. Examples include mechanisms that avoid residential streets and pedestrian-heavy areas by excluding shortcut routes, and a system that leverages the knowledge and driving history of veteran drivers.
Good design award winning gallery URL: https://www.g-mark.org/en/gallery/winners/29325
2. JR Central Tokaido & San-yo Shinkansen Timetable App
(Category:System/service for professional use)
This app is designed for Tokaido and San-yo Shinkansen passengers to easily check timetables and operational information on their smartphones, even while on the go. It replicates the readability of printed timetables while offering digital features such as filtered searches by date or train name, platform numbers, real-time updates, and actual delay times. It supports smooth travel planning and provides peace of mind for both business and leisure travelers.
◯ Comments by the review board
The railway timetable is arguably one of those pieces of content still thought to be more readable in print than in digital form.
This product has successfully offered new value to users by adapting the long-beloved print timetable--preserving its great strengths of comprehensiveness and visibility on the smartphone screen--while also providing real-time operational information.
We highly commend this initiative for being a legitimate evolution of paper-based content achieved through digital transformation.
Good design award winning gallery URL: https://www.g-mark.org/en/gallery/winners/33099
For more information, please visit the Good Design Award website.
https://www.g-mark.org/en/gallery/companies/5c5c685a-6eb5-4891-8648-f7b0067672ec
About the Good Design Award:
The GOOD DESIGN AWARD is an evaluation and promotion activity for representative Japanese design, inheriting the Good Design Product Selection System established in 1957. As a global design award in which many companies and organizations in Japan and abroad participate, the award is held every year with the aim of improving the quality of life and applying design to solve social issues and themes. The "G Mark," the symbol of the award, is widely recognized as a symbol of excellence in design. For more information, please visit https://www.g-mark.org/en
About NAVITIME JAPAN:
NAVITIME JAPAN was founded on March 1, 2000 and is headquartered in Minato Ward of Tokyo, Japan. The current CEO and President is Keisuke Onishi, PhD. The company is the leading provider of navigation technology and services, offering solutions such as navigation services and apps for both individual and corporate customers.
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