Taxi Apps in Ehime (2026): GO, Uber and DiDi in Matsuyama, Only GO in Imabari

Three taxi apps are in use across Japan: GO, Uber and DiDi. Ehime Prefecture has 20 cities and towns, and the three apps name only six of them on their official area pages. All three name Matsuyama City. Imabari City is named by GO only, and 14 cities and towns are named by none of the three. This page is for visitors and for residents who want to know which app to install, what the pick-up fee is and whether the car takes cash. The apps’ own help pages are in Japanese except where noted.

In short

In Matsuyama City all three apps are named. In Imabari City only GO is named. In Iyo City only DiDi is named.
Niihama, Saijo, Uwajima, Yawatahama, Ozu and 9 other cities and towns are on none of the three area pages. Call a local taxi company.
The pick-up fee is set by the taxi company, not the app. Iyotetsu Taxi in Matsuyama charges ¥200 a ride, and nothing at its own taxi stands.
Uber’s ¥100 app fee started on September 28, 2026. Uber’s list of covered areas does not name Ehime, so check the fee breakdown in the app.

Checked with official pages on October 13, 2026.

1. Which app works in which city or town?

Depends on the provider

The table lists the six places that at least one app names. “Listed” means the city or town appears on that company’s official service-area page. It does not tell you how many cars are nearby.

City or town	GO	Uber	DiDi
Matsuyama City	Listed (some areas excluded)	Listed	Listed (not the islands)
Imabari City	Listed (some areas excluded)	Not listed	Not listed
Iyo City	Not listed	Not listed	Listed
Toon City	Listed	Not listed	Listed
Tobe Town	Listed	Not listed	Listed
Masaki Town	Listed	Not listed	Listed

The 14 places on none of the three pages are Niihama, Saijo, Shikokuchuo, Uwajima, Yawatahama, Ozu and Seiyo cities, and Kamijima, Kumakogen, Uchiko, Ikata, Matsuno, Kihoku and Ainan towns. The apps do not name them, so plan to call a local taxi company.

Sources: GO service areas, Uber Taxi service areas and DiDi service areas.

2. GO: five places, and what the asterisk means

GO Inc.

GO’s Ehime entry lists Matsuyama City, Toon City, Imabari City, Tobe Town and Masaki Town. The asterisk (※) on Matsuyama and Imabari means “some areas excluded”. The asterisk does not mark ride-share cars. GO shows ride-share vehicles with a separate highlight, and in Ehime that highlight is on Matsuyama, Toon, Tobe and Masaki, but not on Imabari.

GO’s fee pages do not list Ehime. The ¥100 app charge, the ¥100 handling charge for paying in the car and the peak charge each have their own list of areas, and Ehime is on none of them as of October 13, 2026. GO adds that the areas are expected to expand. Before you book, open the fee details in the app.

GO has an English pricing page, and its English top page says international credit cards and Apple Pay are accepted.

3. Uber: Matsuyama City now, but the 2025 announcement named four

Uber Japan

Uber’s current service-area page (published August 7, 2026, last updated October 2026) names Matsuyama City only for Ehime. Uber Japan’s June 17, 2025 announcement named four places: Matsuyama City (excluding the islands), Toon City, Tobe Town and Masaki Town. The two Uber pages do not agree, so this page follows the current area page. If you plan to ride from Toon, Tobe or Masaki, set your pick-up pin in the app and check that cars appear first.

The 2025 announcement says the Matsuyama launch runs on a link between the Uber app and the DS dispatch system of Denno Kotsu, with several Matsuyama taxi companies taking part. Uber says its app supports more than 70 countries and about 50 languages, and that chat messages with the driver are translated automatically.

Advance booking is a separate matter. The October 14, 2025 announcement says the booking feature would come to Matsuyama “from next year onward, in stages”. It describes the feature as booking from 90 days to 15 minutes before pick-up, with a flat ¥700 booking fee. To see whether it works in Matsuyama today, look for the “Reserve” button on the app’s home screen.

4. DiDi: five places, and Iyo City is DiDi only

DiDi Mobility Japan

DiDi’s Ehime entry reads Matsuyama City (excluding the islands), Iyo City, Toon City, Masaki Town and Tobe Town. Of the three apps, only DiDi names Iyo City.

DiDi takes advance orders in every service area except Aichi Prefecture. You pick a departure time from 30 minutes to 3 days ahead. A ¥300 to ¥780 fee for advance orders applies in Hokkaido, Miyagi, Hyogo, Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Okinawa. Ehime is not among them. The order is not a guaranteed car. DiDi says it will tell you whether a car is arranged by 10 minutes before departure. See DiDi’s FAQ (Japanese).

5. What do the pick-up fee and the app fee look like in Ehime?

Depends on the provider

The pick-up fee (迎車料金, geisha ryokin) is set by the taxi company that comes to you, not by the app. The table shows only the items that apply here.

Item	GO	Uber	DiDi
Pick-up fee	Set by the taxi company; see the “Taxi companies” list in the app	Varies by company; not in the estimate; some charge none	Added to the meter fare
App or booking fee	Ehime is not on GO’s area list	¥100 where it applies; Ehime is not on Uber’s list	Advance-order fee only in 6 prefectures’ areas; not Ehime
Paying in the car	Allowed; the ¥100 handling charge is not listed for Ehime	Cash in the car is allowed	“Cash or other” in the car, or card and PayPay in the app
Booking ahead	AI reservation: Ehime not on the list	Matsuyama: planned for 2026 or later	30 minutes to 3 days ahead

GO says every ride ordered in the app carries the taxi company’s pick-up fee, and that some companies charge none. See GO’s pick-up fee page (Japanese).

Uber says the pick-up fee is added to the meter fare and is not in the app’s estimate, and that some companies charge none (Uber help, Japanese). Separately, from September 28, 2026 Uber adds a ¥100 app fee (tax included) to rides starting in covered areas, except fixed airport fares. The page says “20 prefectures”, but the list it shows names 11, and Ehime is not among them. Whether Matsuyama is covered is not stated. After you choose a car, tap the “i” mark in the app to see the fee breakdown (Uber help, Japanese).

DiDi says the fare is calculated on the meter in the car, and that the pick-up fee and expressway tolls are paid in addition.

6. How much is a taxi in Matsuyama?

Iyotetsu Taxi

Iyotetsu Taxi is a Matsuyama company that takes GO orders from all its cars, according to its own notice of August 1, 2023. Its fare table for a standard car is below.

Item	Standard car
First 1.0 km	¥600
After that	¥100 for each 315 m
Pick-up fee	¥200 a time, flat (迎車回送料金)
Late night	20% extra, 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.

The ¥200 pick-up fee applies to rides other than boarding directly (乗込み, norikomi), and it does not apply at Iyotetsu Taxi’s own stands. The company’s booking page shows ¥200 for a standard car. The fee rose from ¥100 to ¥200 on December 19, 2025, according to the company’s notice. Other companies set their own amounts. The company’s fare page is in Japanese.

Official video introducing Iyotetsu Taxi’s EV taxis (Iyotetsu Group official channel, in Japanese)

7. Can I call a taxi at night or early in the morning?

GO and Iyotetsu Taxi

GO says you can order at night or early in the morning if a car is near you, but there may be few cars at some hours. Many companies treat 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. as the late-night period and charge 20% more. Iyotetsu Taxi’s table uses the same hours.

For a fixed appointment, book ahead. DiDi takes orders from 30 minutes ahead. Uber’s feature, if it is live in Matsuyama, takes bookings down to 15 minutes before pick-up. GO’s AI reservation does not list Ehime. You can also book directly with Iyotetsu Taxi on its booking page (Japanese; it shows a ¥200 pick-up fee for a standard car) or by phone on 089-921-3166. Phone hours differ by day, so check the company page.

8. How do I get a taxi at the airport or a station?

GO and Iyotetsu Taxi

Iyotetsu Taxi says its cars take GO orders and that you can call one at Matsuyama Airport. GO’s fixed airport fare is only for trips between Haneda or Narita airports and set areas of Tokyo, so it cannot be used at Matsuyama Airport. Uber and DiDi do not name an airport pick-up spot for Ehime on the pages checked for this guide. For buses from the airport, see Getting to Matsuyama Airport.

At stations, a stand can cost less than the app. Iyotetsu Taxi lists eight stands: two at the south exit of Matsuyama-shi Station, Ichiban-cho, Dogo Onsen Station-mae, Kume Station-mae, Furumachi Station-mae, Takehara head office and Yoge Station-mae. They are not subject to the pick-up fee, but they do not take bookings. The company’s note says the first south-exit stand suits Dogo and Kume, and the second has a waiting room and suits the airport and JR trains. See the stand guide (Japanese).

9. Can I pay in cash?

Depends on the provider

All three apps let you pay inside the car as well as in the app.

GO: choose “GO Pay” or in-car payment. The ¥100 handling charge for in-car payment is not listed for Ehime (GO help, Japanese).
Uber: its app-fee page names in-app payment and in-car payment (cash).
DiDi: choose “cash or other” (paid in the car, following the taxi company’s methods) or app payment by credit card, debit card or PayPay. You cannot change the method after you confirm the order.

Iyotetsu Taxi’s notices list credit cards in all cars (October 8, 2019), PayPay (January 2019), and nationwide transport IC cards such as ICOCA, Suica and PASMO (July 22, 2024).

10. How should I choose in Ehime?

Depends on the provider

In Matsuyama City all three apps are named, and the pages do not say how many cars each has. Use the one you already have, and check the fee breakdown before you order.

Outside Matsuyama, start with the table in section 1. In Imabari, GO is the only app named, and the asterisk means some areas are excluded. In Niihama, Saijo, Uwajima and the other 14 places, plan on a phone call to a local company, and keep its number before you travel.

Common questions

Which app works in Imabari?

GO names Imabari City, with some areas excluded. Uber and DiDi do not name it.

Can I use an app in Niihama or Saijo?

None of the three apps names Niihama or Saijo on its area page. Call a local taxi company.

Can I get a taxi at Matsuyama Airport with GO?

Iyotetsu Taxi says its cars take GO orders and that you can call one at Matsuyama Airport.

How do I avoid the pick-up fee?

Board at an Iyotetsu Taxi stand. The pick-up fee does not apply there, but the stand does not take bookings.

Is there a taxi app fee in Ehime?

GO’s and DiDi’s fee lists do not name Ehime. Uber’s ¥100 app fee list does not name Ehime either, but the page does not rule it out. Check the “i” mark in the Uber app.

Next steps