Now 'Tada' Competes with Taxis... Taxi War in the Mobility Industry

'Tada Premium' Adds Gasoline 9-Seater Grandeur and Carnival
Possibility to Expand to 1,000 Vehicles Nationwide as Planned
'KakaoT Blue' Also Targets 10,000 Vehicles Operating Nationwide Within the Year

[Asia Economy Reporter Jin-gyu Lee] Tada, which suspended its 11-passenger van call service 'Tada Basic,' has made a comeback with a premium taxi service. Following the passage of the amendment to the Passenger Transport Service Act, the domestic mobility industry appears to be reorganizing around the taxi business.

According to Tada operator VCNC on the 15th, about 80 taxi drivers attended the 'Tada Premium' business briefing held yesterday at The Residents Dongdaemun Hotel in Janghanpyeong, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul. At this event, VCNC announced plans to expand the lineup of the Tada Premium service, which had been operated exclusively with the K7 model, by adding models such as the Grandeur and Carnival.

For Tada Premium, instead of the Carnival vehicles used in Tada Basic, a new Carnival gasoline 3300cc 9-passenger vehicle will be introduced. The enforcement regulations of the Passenger Transport Service Act specify that premium taxis must have an engine displacement of 2800cc or more. Since the Carnival vehicles used in Tada Basic had a 2200cc engine, they cannot be used for Tada Premium.

Tada Premium is currently operated with about 100 vehicles only in the Seoul metropolitan area, including Seoul, Gwangmyeong in Gyeonggi Province, and Incheon. After being acquitted by the court in February, VCNC announced plans to expand the premium business nationwide to about 1,000 vehicles. However, with the amendment passing the National Assembly last month, VCNC found it impossible to attract investment and expand the business, forcing them to reconsider the Tada Premium expansion plan from scratch.

Previously, VCNC maintained Tada Basic and was in extreme conflict with the taxi industry, but now that Tada Basic has been discontinued, it has become relatively easier to embrace the taxi industry. Accordingly, there are expectations inside and outside the industry that VCNC will increase the premium business to about 1,000 vehicles nationwide as previously stated. A Tada official said, "There are already taxi drivers who have expressed their intention to join Tada Premium," adding, "Although specific plans to expand the number of operating vehicles have not been finalized as it is still at the business briefing stage, the number of operating vehicles will gradually increase."

Meanwhile, Kakao Mobility is also accelerating the expansion of its franchise taxi business following the passage of the amendment. Kakao Mobility’s subsidiary KM Solution recently launched pilot services for the franchise taxi 'Kakao T Blue' in Ulsan, Gwangju, and Uijeongbu in Gyeonggi Province. With this pilot service, the number of Kakao T Blue operating vehicles has increased to about 5,200 across 10 regions nationwide. Kakao T Blue officially provides services with about 4,200 vehicles in four cities: Seoul, Daegu, Seongnam in Gyeonggi Province, and Daejeon. Additionally, about 260 vehicles are operating in pilot service in three cities in Gyeonggi Province: Namyangju, Guri, and Hanam. KM Solution has set a goal to expand the number of operating vehicles to about 10,000 nationwide within this year.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.