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Riding a panda has never been more charitable.

The adorably named Blue Zoo Company, which runs the even more adorably named “Panda Taxi Company” in Fukuoka Prefecture, is celebrating 10 years of operations with a specially wrapped taxi which will be on the roads from 5 February this year.

Called the “Zoo Support Panda Jet Taxi” model, the special service aims to provide assistance to the city’s zoo, both by ferrying passengers to the site and by donating half of the car’s entire revenue to help the zoological organisation.

▼ The car features the caped, red bow tie-wearing company mascot on the roof, bonnet and doors of the car. His red cape even flows over the back of the vehicle.

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The unusual charity concept stemmed from the company’s desire to celebrate their tenth anniversary by giving back to the community in some way. With their taxi service named after an animal, supporting the zoo seemed like a natural choice.

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The taxi company is well-known for providing one of the best-priced services in the country, with the starting fare costing 300 yen (US$2.53), which is more than half the price a starting fare in Tokyo. Passengers don’t have to be going to the zoo to use the service so if you see the special taxi while you’re in Fukuoka City, be sure to flag it down!

Images via Panda Taxi Official Site
[ Read in Japanese ]