Starting a care taxi (welfare transport): permit, office, garage and Class 2 licence requirements

To start a care taxi (transporting people who need care to hospital and outings for a fee), you need a permit under Article 4 of the Road Transport Act. This article organises the permit types, the office and garage requirements, the Class 2 licence and care qualifications, the cost and time guide, and who to hand the property, licence and labour matters to.

In short: to start a care taxi (transporting people who need care to hospital and outings for a fee), you need a permit from the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (in practice, the head of the District Transport Bureau) under Article 4 of the Road Transport Act. In most cases this is a permit for general passenger motor vehicle transport limited to "welfare transport," and if you use a welfare vehicle equipped for wheelchairs or stretchers you can apply with a single vehicle. The driver needs a Class 2 driving licence (Article 86 of the Road Traffic Act) to carry passengers for a fee, and if care transport is done in an ordinary sedan-type vehicle, the driver must also hold a qualification such as certified care worker or home helper. This article is general information organising the permit types, the office and garage (property) requirements, the Class 2 licence and care qualifications, the cost and time guide, and who to hand the property, licence and labour matters to. The outcome of any individual permit is a matter for the Transport Branch Office and the District Transport Bureau.

What permit do you need to start a care taxi (welfare transport)?

A care taxi is a business that transports people who need care for a fee, in response to their demand, by chartering a passenger vehicle. To start it, Article 4 of the Road Transport Act requires a permit for general passenger motor vehicle transport business.

Article 3 of the Road Transport Act classifies passenger motor vehicle transport by type, and a care taxi falls under "general passenger motor vehicle transport" (the business of transporting passengers by chartering, under a single contract, a vehicle with a seating capacity of fewer than eleven). In practice, the central form is a permit "limited to welfare transport," which limits the persons transported to those who need care.

The permit standards are set out in Article 6 of the Road Transport Act; in summary:

Category	Content (summary)
Transport safety (Article 6)	The business plan is appropriate for ensuring transport safety
Appropriate business plan (Article 6)	The plan for the office, garage, vehicles and so on does not impair transport safety or the public interest
Ability to conduct (Article 6)	You have the ability (funds and the like) to conduct the business properly and continuously by yourself

In addition, you must not fall under the disqualifications in Article 7 of the Road Transport Act (such as a person for whom a certain period has not passed since a permit was revoked). Within the scope of administrative-scrivener work, Yotsuba Administrative Scrivener Office supports confirming the requirements, preparing the business plan and application documents, and acting as agent for the application. The outcome of any individual permit is a matter for the Transport Branch Office and the District Transport Bureau.

How does general passenger transport differ from "welfare transport limited"?

Even within general passenger motor vehicle transport, the ordinary corporate taxi and the welfare-transport-limited form differ in who is transported and the minimum number of vehicles.

Item	Ordinary general passenger (corporate taxi)	Welfare transport limited (care taxi)
Persons transported	Unspecified general passengers	Limited to those certified as needing care or support, those issued a physical disability certificate, and others who find independent movement or use of public transport difficult due to physical or internal disability
Minimum vehicles	The minimum set for each operating area (five or more in many areas)	Can apply with a single vehicle
Main vehicles used	Ordinary passenger cars	Welfare vehicles (equipped with a lift or ramp for wheelchairs/stretchers) or ordinary vehicles (sedan type and the like)

Because welfare transport limited can start with one vehicle, it suits individual or small-scale opening. On the other hand, the big difference from an ordinary taxi is that those you may carry are limited to people who need care. Because the permit type changes with whom you transport, it is important to organise the target at the business-plan stage.

What are the requirements for the office and garage (property) and the vehicles?

The office, garage, rest-and-nap facility and vehicles each have requirements.

Facility / vehicle	Main requirements
Office	Title to use (ownership or a lease). A place that does not conflict with related laws such as the Building Standards Act, the City Planning Act and the Agricultural Land Act. In principle it cannot be located in an urbanisation control area
Garage	In principle attached to the office. If it cannot be attached, within a set distance from the office (2 km in some areas, varying by District Transport Bureau). It can hold all the vehicles used, and the frontage road complies with the Vehicle Restriction Order
Rest-and-nap facility	Attached to the office or garage, where drivers can rest
Vehicles	Welfare vehicles (equipped with a lift or ramp for wheelchairs/stretchers, a rotating seat, and so on) or ordinary vehicles (sedan type). Title to use is required

If you sign for a property first and then find it unusable because of zoning or land category, you have to search again. It is important to check against the requirements at the property-selection stage. Searching for and leasing the office and garage property is handled by Yotsuba Real Estate Co., Ltd. (licensed real estate broker), a separate business.

What about the driver's Class 2 licence, care qualifications and labour?

Carrying passengers for a fee requires, separately from the Road Transport Act, a Class 2 driving licence under Article 86 of the Road Traffic Act. The categories of driving licence are set out in Article 84 of the Road Traffic Act, and to drive a passenger vehicle for the transport of passengers you must hold a Class 2 licence.

Further, when care transport is done in an ordinary vehicle such as a sedan type, rather than a welfare vehicle, the driver is required to hold one of the following qualifications.

Vehicle used	What the driver needs
Welfare vehicle (with lift/ramp, etc.)	A Class 2 driving licence appropriate for the vehicle used
Ordinary vehicle (sedan type, etc.)	A Class 2 licence plus one of the qualifications such as certified care worker, home helper, home-care worker, or completion of the care-transport-service worker training

Labour matters such as the driver's working hours, social insurance and work rules are the field of a certified social insurance labour consultant. If you hire drivers to start, you need to arrange the labour design separately.

What is the guide to the flow, cost and time up to the permit?

The flow from application to the start of transport and the cost guide are as follows.

Stage	Content / guideline
Filing the application	Filed with the District Transport Bureau via the Transport Branch Office with jurisdiction
Required funds	You must secure your own capital based on an estimate of labour, vehicle, fuel and insurance costs
Standard processing period	The examination is generally about two months (varies by District Transport Bureau). A guideline where there are no deficiencies or corrections
Permit and registration and licence tax	After the permit, you pay the registration and licence tax (30,000 yen)
Start of transport	Register the business vehicles (green number plates), arrange the operation- and maintenance-management system, and notify the start of transport

Where you apply as a corporation for a taxi business, there is a law examination for officers, while the welfare-transport-limited form may be treated differently. Because the details of the requirements are treated differently by each District Transport Bureau and Transport Branch Office, check the latest guidance of the authority to which you apply. Even after the permit, you register the business vehicles (welfare-limited green number plates) and go through the pre-start confirmation before you can actually begin transporting.

Who should handle the property, licence and labour?

A care taxi intersects permits, real estate, vehicles and labour. The roles divide as follows.

Confirming the requirements, preparing the business plan and documents, and acting as agent for the application → Yotsuba Administrative Scrivener Office (administrative scrivener)
Searching for the office and garage property, checking conformity of zoning, land category and frontage road, and the lease → Yotsuba Real Estate Co., Ltd. (licensed real estate broker)
Obtaining the Class 2 driving licence and care qualification → the driver themselves (designated driving school / training body)
The driver's working hours, social insurance and work rules → a certified social insurance labour consultant
Registration such as company incorporation and change of officers → a judicial scrivener

Yotsuba Administrative Scrivener Office and Yotsuba Real Estate Co., Ltd. are separate businesses. Each field is on the premise that you contract separately with each qualified professional as an independent business, and our office receives no referral fee. For the flow of engagement, see Engagement Flow; for fees, see Fee Schedule; and for the whole picture, see Permits and Applications. For the same transport-permit theme, also see General freight motor vehicle transport permit and the office and garage requirements, which organises the office and garage requirements for carrying cargo.

FAQ

Q. Can I start a care taxi with just one vehicle?
A. General passenger motor vehicle transport limited to welfare transport can be applied for with a single vehicle. An ordinary corporate taxi needs the minimum number of vehicles set for each operating area (five or more in many areas), but the welfare-transport-limited form relaxes this requirement. Which one applies depends on whom you transport and the business plan.

Q. Can I run a care taxi with an ordinary sedan car?
A. It may be possible, but to do care transport in an ordinary vehicle such as a sedan type, the driver must hold, in addition to a Class 2 driving licence, a qualification such as certified care worker or home helper. If you use a welfare vehicle equipped for wheelchairs/stretchers, a Class 2 licence appropriate for the vehicle is enough.

Q. Can I make my home the office or garage?
A. It may be possible if you have title to use and it does not conflict with the Building Standards Act, the City Planning Act, the Agricultural Land Act and so on. However, in principle it cannot be located in an urbanisation control area. The garage is in principle attached to the office; if it cannot be attached, it must be within a set distance from the office (2 km in some areas, varying by District Transport Bureau). We recommend checking against the requirements before deciding on a property.

Q. How long after applying does the permit come?
A. The standard processing period for the examination is generally about two months (varies by District Transport Bureau). This is a guideline where there are no deficiencies or corrections, assuming the securing of required funds and the resolution of corrections are completed within the period. The individual examination period is a matter for the Transport Branch Office and the District Transport Bureau.

Sources (Primary Information)

e-Gov Law Search, "Road Transport Act" (Act No. 183 of 1951), Articles 3, 4, 6 and 7 (accessed 2026-09-06)
e-Gov Law Search, "Road Traffic Act" (Act No. 105 of 1960), Articles 84 and 86 (Class 2 driving licence) (accessed 2026-09-06)
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and the District Transport Bureaus, "Guide to applying for a general passenger motor vehicle transport permit (limited to welfare transport)" (minimum vehicles, persons transported, office-to-garage distance, Class 2 licence and care qualifications, required funds, standard processing period, registration and licence tax of 30,000 yen) (accessed 2026-09-06)
Regulations for Passenger Motor Vehicle Transport Business (Ministry of Transport Ordinance No. 44 of 1956) (operation management, maintenance management and driver requirements) (accessed 2026-09-06)

This article is general information and does not guarantee the outcome of any individual permit, the required documents or the examination period. The details of the requirements (the office-to-garage distance, the minimum number of vehicles, the treatment of driver qualifications, and so on) differ by each District Transport Bureau and Transport Branch Office, so check the latest public notice and guidance of the authority to which you apply. Searching for and leasing the office and garage property is handled by Yotsuba Real Estate Co., Ltd. (licensed real estate broker); the driver's labour and social insurance by a certified social insurance labour consultant; and registration such as company incorporation and change of officers by a judicial scrivener, each as an independent business under a separate contract. Our office receives no referral fee. Individual judgements are made by a qualified professional after a meeting. Written by Joji Uramatsu, administrative scrivener and licensed real estate broker.