National Treasure, Beoksi Busan and Platform Taxi Begin Full Operation

Buksi Busan Launches 'KakaoT Blue' and Starts Comprehensive Mobility Business in Busan
KM Solution Begins Franchise Taxi Business to Intensify Busan-Specific Mobility Services

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hyowon] Kookbo (CEO Ha Hyun), a KOSPI-listed company, is seeing tangible results from its mobility business.

Kookbo announced on the 20th that Bucksie Busan (CEO Lee Taehee), established in January this year for a comprehensive mobility business in the Busan area, has started the Busan franchise taxi business of KM Solution's (CEO Ryu Geungseon) franchise taxi service ‘KakaoT Blue’ with about 300 vehicles.

Bucksie Busan explained that 45 companies, nearly half of the 97 corporate taxi companies in the Busan area, have participated in the Busan franchise taxi business so far.

To operate the franchise taxi business, Bucksie Busan established its subsidiary BTX Mobility and has been conducting the business in consultation with the Busan Taxi Transport Business Association since April. Before deciding to introduce the franchise taxi business, the Busan Taxi Transport Business Association held two business briefings and three general meetings.

Lee Taehee, CEO of Bucksie Busan, said, "Since we are promoting the business together with the Busan Taxi Transport Business Association, we expect a positive response from the local corporate taxi industry," adding, "We will determine the scale of operation by comprehensively reviewing user demand and feedback in the future."

The exterior of KakaoT Blue, introduced this time in the Busan area, features the ‘Busan Edition’ character, a combination of Kakao’s character Kakao Friends and a seagull.

CEO Lee said, “Starting with the Kakao franchise taxi business, we will introduce new taxi services specialized for the Busan area, such as school taxis and tourist taxis, through regulatory sandboxes,” and added, “We are also preparing a new business model that combines hydrogen/electric charging stations with a comprehensive mobility business based on a shared taxi garage.”

Kookbo entered the mobility business last year by acquiring a controlling stake in the comprehensive mobility company Bucksie. In January this year, it relocated its headquarters to Busan and established Bucksie Busan to oversee mobility business in Busan. Through this project, Kookbo appears to be intensifying its specialized mobility business in the Busan area.

Meanwhile, Bucksie, which had focused its business mainly on airports, has diversified its services this year due to the COVID-19 crisis that curtailed overseas travel. These include the ‘Bucksie Golf’ service, which provides chauffeuring for golf round members to golf courses, and the ‘Bucksie Trip’ service, allowing users to travel domestically without driving by riding vehicles like Carnival and Solati from their doorstep to travel destinations.

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