With Corona, KakaoT Taxi Calls Surge to 2.89 Million

[Asia Economy Reporter Buaeri] The number of Kakao T taxi calls surged due to the phased return to daily life (With Corona).

Kakao Mobility announced on the 16th that the average daily number of calls recorded over two weeks from the 1st to the 14th of this month was 2.89 million. This is a 35% increase compared to the two weeks immediately before the implementation of With Corona.

It increased by 120% compared to the average daily calls of 1.31 million during the two weeks from November 1, 2019, before the outbreak of COVID-19. This tally is nationwide and includes regular mid-sized taxis, Kakao T Blue, Kakao T Venti, and Kakao T Black.

On the first weekend after the implementation of With Corona, the 6th of this month, Kakao T taxis recorded the highest number of calls ever, with 3.84 million calls in one day. The following weekend, the 13th, also approached this number.

The peak hours for taxi calls have also changed. During the social distancing period, calls tended to concentrate around 10 PM. After the implementation of With Corona, demand concentrated around midnight, and the average number of calls during the late-night peak hours (10 PM to 2 AM) increased by 72% compared to the average calls during the two weeks before implementation.

The supply of taxis decreased during peak demand hours, intensifying the "demand-supply mismatch phenomenon." Kakao Mobility analyzed that "individual taxi drivers prefer to operate during daytime hours and tend to avoid late-night operations when there are many intoxicated passengers, and the number of corporate taxi drivers has also decreased due to the impact of COVID-19."

As the demand-supply imbalance worsened, the average daily number of calls for all Kakao T brand taxis during the late-night peak hours increased by 86%. Franchise taxis like Kakao T Blue increased by 65% and 71% during the late-night peak hours and from 2 AM to 7 AM, respectively. Kakao T Venti increased by 176% and 212%, respectively. Kakao T Black surged by 309% during late-night hours and by 2899% during early morning hours.

A Kakao Mobility official said, "We are taking measures to improve taxi operation efficiency using mobility technology, but there are inevitable limitations when taxi operations during late-night hours are fewer than during the daytime," adding, "Various institutional supplements are needed to increase voluntary participation in operations, such as driver incentives."

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