Kakao Taxi Drivers with Low Ratings Will Not Receive Dispatch Benefits

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] From now on, Kakao Taxi drivers who receive low ratings from passengers will not receive dispatch benefits.

According to Kakao Mobility on the 11th, new terms and conditions will be applied to the Kakao T Taxi paid subscription plan 'Pro Membership' starting from the 22nd. Pro Membership is a program where taxi drivers pay 99,000 KRW per month to receive various dispatch benefits.

The new terms include provisions that if a driver's rating is lower than the membership subscription rating criteria separately announced by the company, the driver may be denied approval for 'Pro Membership' subscription or have their membership terminated.

Kakao Taxi allows passengers to rate drivers on a 5-star scale for factors such as friendliness after using the service. While ratings were previously used only as a simple reference when calling a taxi, going forward, Kakao plans to manage subscribed taxis based on these ratings.

However, Kakao Mobility stated that, to avoid backlash from existing Kakao T drivers, the rating system will be used only to restrict registration for 'Pro Membership' and not for all Kakao T registered taxi drivers. Accordingly, these terms will apply only to drivers newly subscribing to 'Pro Membership' after the effective date.

A Kakao Mobility official said, "We plan to introduce an upgraded version of Pro Membership," adding, "The upgraded Pro Membership will be prepared to strengthen driver benefits along with new features."

Opposition from the taxi industry is also expected. Taxi organizations have expressed dissatisfaction since the launch of 'Pro Membership,' considering it a form of 'forced paid subscription.' The industry is concerned that if Kakao begins managing drivers based on ratings, dependency will deepen further.

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