Taxi in Osaka

Osaka taxis provide efficient, swift, and comfortable transportation, perfect for travelers rushing to the airport or needing a quick city center trip. Metered fares keep pricing fair, though costs are much higher than public transport.

Advantages & Disadvantage

Advantages

 Efficiency and Speed: Osaka taxis eliminate the hassle of tickets, transfers, and complex public transportation networks, ideal for catching flights or quick city center access.

 Convenience and Comfort: Taxis in Osaka are easily accessible, whether you're at a bustling tourist spot or a serene residential area. With door-to-door service and clean, quiet interiors, they ensure a comfortable ride.

Osaka's Taxi is Suitable for Tourists with Heavy Luggage

 Reliable Services: Passengers in Osaka can rest assured, as all taxis use meters for fair pricing, and most drivers are trustworthy, eliminating the concern of being overcharged.

Disadvantage

 High Cost: Osaka taxis are expensive, 10-15 times more than public transport. A taxi ride from Kansai Airport to Namba Station, for instance, can cost around 16,560 yen, whereas it's just 970 yen by Nankai train or 1,300 yen by airport limousine bus. 

Tip: Given these steep prices, taxis in Osaka are more practical for trips under 10 km, especially with multiple passengers, heavy luggage, hot weather, or near transit stops but a bit of a walk from your hotel.

Take a Taxi on a Hot Day, Osaka

Osaka Taxi Types & Fares

In Osaka, taxis come in three sizes: standard (small), medium, and large, each tailored to different passenger and luggage needs.

Standard Taxis

The most common taxis, ideal for up to 4 passengers with 1-2 pieces of luggage.

A Standard Taxi, Osaka

Medium Taxis

Perfect for groups of 5-6 with 2-4 pieces of luggage. Note that fare rates may vary by taxi companies, so it's best to check with your chosen provider.

Large Taxis

Spacious enough for 8-9 passengers and 5-8 pieces of luggage.

For standard and large taxis, the fare standards are as follows: 

Types	Base Fare & Additional Charges
Standard	Base Fare: 680yen Additional 80yen/241m, 80yen/1min 30s
Large	Base Fare: 730yen Additional 80yen/188m, 80yen/1min 10s

Note:

 Base fare is charged for the initial 1.7km.
 For long-distance trips exceeding a total fare of 9,000 yen, a 10% discount is offered.
 An extra 20% surcharge applies to taxi rides between 11:00 PM and 5:00 AM.

 Passengers are responsible for paying any additional toll fees for highways or bridges encountered during the journey.

A Taxi in Osaka's Umeda Area at Night

Major routes for most of the tourists and estimated fares are here for your reference:

Routes	Fare (yen)
Namba - Umeda	1,270
Shin-Osaka Sta. – Namba	2,900
Shin-Osaka Sta. – Universal Studios Japan	4,280
Itami Airport - Universal Studios Japan	5,640
Kansai Airport - Universal Studios Japan	19,800
Kansai Airport - Namba	16,560
Kansai Airport - Umeda	17,730

How to Take a Taxi in Osaka: 5 Approaches

Hail a Taxi

Stand at a convenient spot, look for a taxi with its roof light on, wave it down, hop in, and tell the driver your destination.

The Taxi with Top Light and Red Lettering On is Available for Taking

Use Apps

Use apps like GO, Uber, DiDi, or Motaku by simply inputting your pickup location, destination, and passenger count to select a budget-friendly vehicle, ensuring seamless door-to-door service.

Call for a Taxi

Tourists can simply call a taxi company to request a ride. For your convenience, the contact details of several recommended firms are listed later in the section titled "Popular Taxi Companies in Osaka".

Book at Locations

Alternatively, book a taxi at hotel receptions, airport info desks, or train station info centers with staff assistance.

Do Taxi Drivers Speak English Well in Osaka?

Most taxi drivers in Osaka can only communicate in limited English, so showing them your destination on a map app is straightforward, and having it written in Japanese and ready to show the driver is also helpful.

If you have the phone number of your destination, the driver can also input it into the GPS to find the address. For those returning to their hotel, simply presenting the hotel's business card will suffice.

Another option is to reserve an English-speaking driver with a taxi company, albeit at an extra cost. For example, MK Taxi charges 1,000 yen for a 30-minute English-speaking driver service.

How to Pay?

Taxis in Osaka accept both cash and various cashless payment methods.
 Cash, the most acceptable payment
 Credit Card: Visa, JCB, Mastercard, AMERICAN EXPRESS, Diners
 Transportation Card: ICOCA, Suica, PASMO, WAON, Kitaca, TOICA, manaca, SUGOCA, nimoca, Hayakaken, iD
 QR Code: PayPay, Rakuten Pay, Merpay, d Barai, au Pay, Alipay, WeChat Pay

Popular Taxi Companies in Osaka

Below are popular taxi services renowned for quality in Osaka, mostly bookable via the GO app. Contact details for immediate or advance reservations are also provided:

Sakura Taxi

Sakura Taxi, Osaka's iconic taxi with a cherry blossom logo featuring an “N”. It offers standard taxis for 4 and larger vehicles for 5-6 passengers. Highlights include English-speaking drivers with high TOIEC scores.

A Standard Sakura Taxi, Osaka

General Service: 050-3093-3726 
Airport Transfers (6 AM - 3 AM): 06-6458-9388

MK Taxi

MK Taxi provides diverse vehicles from regular taxis to luxury sedans, along with airport transfers and designated English-speaking drivers. Ideal for groups, it serves exclusively between Kansai International Airport, Itami Airport, and Kyoto in Osaka at fixed prices.

Operating Hours:
Kyoto to Kansai International Airport: Pickups from 4 PM onwards
Kansai International Airport to Kyoto: Drop-offs from 7 AM to 8 PM
Itami Airport: 24/7 service

Booking Details:
Regular Taxi: 075-555-3195 (24/7, book at least 1 day in advance by 5 PM)
Larger Vehicles: 075-757-6212 (9 AM to 6 PM, book at least 2 days in advance by 6 PM)
International Calls: +81-75-778-4145

Sogo Taxi

Sogo Taxi offers small, medium, and large vehicles accommodating 4 to 9 passengers and provide door-to-door services, airport transfers, and customized sightseeing tours based on their own sightseeing routes with English-speaking drivers.

Northern Osaka City: 06-6931-5489
Southern Osaka City: 06-6708-5489
Sakai City: 072-271-0818
Toyonaka and Ikeda: 06-6852-5489
Sightseeing Taxi: 06-6931-4003

KKG (Kokusai Kogyo Osaka) Taxi

KKG Taxi stands out with its "GPS-AVM Dispatching System" for swift vehicle allocation, accepting convenient payments via transportation IC cards such as ICOCA.

General Service: 0570-03-5931 (7 AM to 11 PM)
Airport Pickup Reservation: 06-6322-5157 (7 AM to 4 PM, book at least 1 day in advance by 4 PM)

Tips

1. In Osaka, when using apps like Uber to hail a taxi, be aware that most taxi companies charge an additional fee of 400 yen, while a few charge 300 yen. To bypass this extra cost, simply hail a taxi directly on the street.

2. Some taxi companies impose an airport parking fee ranging from 300 to 1,000 yen for airport transfers.