Court Rules Taxi Driver's Expulsion from 'Tada Premium' Membership "Invalid"

"Permanent Expulsion Disciplinary Action Is Excessive"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] A court has ruled that the taxi association's expulsion of taxi drivers who joined the premium taxi call service 'Tada Premium' is invalid.

The Seoul Eastern District Court Civil Division 15 (Presiding Judge Yoo Young-hyun) announced on the 15th that it ruled in favor of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed by about 10 taxi drivers, including Mr. Kim, against the Seoul Private Taxi Transportation Business Association, requesting confirmation that the expulsion was invalid.

The court explained, "Permanently expelling without a time limit is an excessive restriction on the plaintiffs' rights," adding, "This is illegal as the taxi association abused and exceeded its disciplinary discretion."

Earlier, in August last year, the association expelled 11 members who applied for the Tada Premium service and suspended the qualifications of 3 others for one year. Tada Premium provides one-on-one immediate dispatch services similar to Tada Basic, which had caused controversy as a 'quasi-taxi' and conflicts with the taxi industry. However, it differs in that it uses private and corporate taxi vehicles rather than Tada's own vehicles (rental cars).

The court judged that while the plaintiffs' actions constituted grounds for discipline, the severity was excessive. The court stated, "Considering the association's resolution in April last year to reject participation in Tada Premium, it constitutes grounds for discipline," but also explained, "Unlike Tada Basic, Tada Premium is structurally no different from existing taxi call services such as 'Kakao Black' that are already in operation."

However, the court ruled that the disciplinary action against the three taxi drivers who received a one-year suspension rather than permanent expulsion was justified and dismissed their claims.

The vehicle-sharing service Tada suspended its core service 'Tada Basic' earlier this year after the amended Passenger Transport Service Act, known as the 'Tada Ban Law,' passed the National Assembly. Currently, only Tada Premium, which operates based on taxi licenses, is in service.

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