Short-distance mobility "WHILL" rental starts at 5 sightseeing spots such as Odawara Castle this fall - expanding to more than 60 locations nationwide
From September 10, 2024, the rental service of the driver-free short-distance mobility "WHILL" has started at Odawara Castle Park in Kanagawa Prefecture. It is scheduled to be introduced sequentially in other tourist destinations this fall.
WHILL is a mobility system that can be easily moved by simply operating a lever at hand, and is designed so that people who are worried about walking on slopes or long distances can stroll around tourist spots with peace of mind. For the elderly and their companions who are worried about their legs and hips, it is expected to provide a new kind of fun of travel that has been difficult to experience before.
In addition to Odawara Castle Ruins Park, the WHILL rental service is scheduled to be introduced at other popular tourist destinations such as Himeji Castle and Kinosaki Onsen Town in Hyogo Prefecture, and Kanazawa City in Ishikawa Prefecture by the end of this fall. Service usage fees and operating rules vary depending on the operator in each region. The fee at Odawara Castle Ruins Park is 1000 yen for 2 hours.
Tourist destinations and operators where WHILL will be introduced this fall
- Odawara Castle Park ( Odawara Tourism Exchange Center September 10, 2024~
- Around Himeji Castle ( Himeji Universal Tourism Center September 26, 2024~
- Around Fushimi Inari, Kyoto City ( 全席車いすのカフェSPRING September 27, 2024~
- Kanazawa City Center ( Ishikawa Barrier-Free Center After October 2024
- Kinosaki Onsen Town ( NPO Purojikuto After October 2024
Since its founding in 2012, WHILL has focused on the development and sales of personal mobility, and since 2019 it has expanded into the service field, and from June 2023, it has been fully developing short-distance mobility services in tourist destinations and commercial facilities. So far, it has been installed in 60 facilities nationwide. WHILL's rental service is available in the following locations: Dedicated app It is introduced on the wide-area map of.
WHILL spokesperson says that in promoting short-distance mobility, "we want to create a society where everyone can move around as a matter of course." According to the Japan Tourism Agency's FY2023 survey, "anxiety about traveling" was cited as the second reason why people with some kind of disability do not travel, followed by "high prices."
