Ride-sharing platform 'Banban Taxi' enters the franchise taxi market

Kim Ki-dong, CEO of Conatus

[Asia Economy Reporter Buaeri] Mobility startup Konatus is entering the franchise taxi market with 'Banban Taxi Green.'

On the 12th, Konatus held a press conference to commemorate the first anniversary of the service launch and announced this plan. 'Banban Taxi Green' aims to recruit 20,000 taxi drivers in the Seoul area this year and expand its scale to about 3,000 vehicles nationwide.

Banban Taxi started its 'shared ride call service' last July after receiving approval from the Ministry of Science and ICT's ICT regulatory sandbox. This service allows passengers with similar travel routes to share a taxi and split the fare. Passengers can receive up to a 50% discount on taxi fares, and taxi drivers can generate additional income through shared ride call fees.

Currently, the domestic franchise taxi market is dominated by Kakao Mobility's 'Kakao T Blue' and KST Mobility's 'Macaron Taxi.' Each company has secured about 10,000 franchise taxis. In addition, 'Tada' is expected to join, and Uber is also considering entering the franchise taxi market.

As a latecomer, Banban Taxi aims to compete through ▲price innovation ▲quality innovation ▲dispatch innovation ▲safety innovation.

Price innovation involves launching a 'commute-only taxi fare plan' that offers discounts to passengers and provides stable income sources to drivers.

Quality innovation is a service that allows passengers to communicate their driving preferences through the application (app) before boarding, enabling drivers to provide high-quality rides.

Dispatch innovation not only addresses the issue of late-night short-distance dispatch through shared rides but also plans to start a service in the second half of the year that guides drivers to areas where demand is expected using artificial intelligence (AI) analysis, maximizing taxi supply efficiency for both passengers and drivers.

Safety innovation includes installing partitions inside vehicles to block droplets and subscribing to COVID-19-specific insurance to ensure safe taxi operations for both passengers and drivers.

CEO Kim stated, "Through Banban Taxi Green, we will provide passengers with the best boarding experience and offer drivers the benefit of additional income generation, serving as a catalyst for further advancement in the mobility industry."

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