Taxi 4 Groups Urge Government to Withdraw Paid KakaoT Call Service Fee

[Asia Economy Reporter Buaeri] Kakao Mobility, which operates the taxi-hailing app ‘KakaoT,’ is facing ongoing conflicts with the taxi industry following the launch of its paid service.

On the 8th, the four taxi organizations (National Taxi Labor Union Federation, National Democratic Taxi Labor Union, National Private Taxi Transport Business Association Federation, and National Taxi Transport Business Association Federation) submitted a petition to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport the day before.

The four taxi organizations urged the government to step in and establish measures to address Kakao Mobility’s market monopoly, as well as to revise laws regarding the unilateral introduction of paid taxi-hailing services.

Last month, Kakao Mobility launched a ‘Pro Membership’ exclusively for taxi drivers at a monthly fee of 99,000 KRW. By subscribing to this membership, taxi drivers can use features such as the destination booster, which allows them to quickly check calls to their desired destinations. The taxi industry interprets this as a step toward paid taxi-hailing services.

The four taxi organizations stated, “The Pro Membership service was unilaterally introduced by Kakao Mobility without any prior consultation with the taxi industry, effectively monetizing the taxi-hailing service.” They added, “This will not only cause new conflicts between the taxi and mobility industries and social confusion but also act as a factor for fare increases, thereby increasing the burden on the public.”

They also criticized, “Despite Kakao Mobility being criticized for unfair practices such as call favoritism, it is blatantly intensifying unfair behavior through the launch of the Pro Membership.”

The four taxi organizations plan to form a joint task force (TF) and continue their activities targeting the National Assembly and the government.

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