Vehicle control system and vehicle control method

A vehicle control system for controlling a vehicle that operates in accordance with a remote instruction in a predetermined area, the vehicle control system comprising:

• a management system configured to manage the vehicle;
• and
• a control device mounted on the vehicle and configured to communicate with the management system, wherein in response to a handover start request from a user device operated by a user of the vehicle, the management system starts handover processing for transferring operating authority of the vehicle from the user to the management system,
• based on a result of a first communication between the control device and a key of the vehicle, the vehicle control system executes key presence confirmation processing for confirming that the key is present within a predetermined range from the vehicle when the handover start request is given, and
• after the presence of the key is confirmed by the key presence confirmation processing, the control device removes a prohibition on a start-up of a travel system of the vehicle by an immobilizer of the vehicle in response to a start-up request of the travel system from the management system, on a condition that a predetermined period is in progress after the presence of the key is confirmed.