[CES2022] "Easy, Fast, and Safe"... Tried the Ride-Hailing App 'Wooty' in the US

Uber-Tmap Mobility Joint Ride-Hailing Service Integrated App

Uber vehicle used through the ride-hailing service Wooty at CES 2022

[Las Vegas, USA = Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] On the 7th (local time), I tried using the ride-hailing service 'UT' in Las Vegas, USA. This was to travel to the venue where the official event of CES 2022, the world's largest electronics and IT exhibition, the 'CES Autonomous Driving Challenge,' was being held. UT is a joint venture between Uber, the world's largest ride-sharing service company, and Tmap Mobility, a subsidiary of SK Square. They launched an integrated application and have been operating it since November last year.

The UT service I used for the first time during this business trip to the US was easy and fast. It was convenient that I could use the app I signed up for in Korea directly without any separate procedures. When I entered the destination from the hotel, the estimated arrival time of nearby vehicles appeared, and the vehicle in the fastest location was dispatched. Although the waiting time shown in the notification was 3 minutes, the reserved vehicle actually arrived in about 1 minute.

Unlike in Korea, where only affiliated taxis can be called, here, drivers registered with Uber operate with their personal vehicles. The driver I reserved explained, "Some people do Uber as a side job only during the CES event period, and some drivers use Uber full-time." This is why quick dispatch is possible, unlike in Korea, where complaints arise about the difficulty of catching a taxi even after waiting for tens of minutes.

Here, probably considering the safety of foreigners due to COVID-19, the app can send a message requesting mask-wearing when calling a vehicle. In the US, where daily new confirmed cases reach up to one million, many people walk around without masks indoors and outdoors. The app allows users to check the driver's reliability through their experience, ratings, and reviews left by previous users.

The app also provides the estimated payment amount, arrival time, and route in advance. I traveled about 30 minutes, and both the route and cost matched the estimates. Earlier, I also used local taxis during the CES period. For a similar distance, the cost was about 20% higher compared to UT. I was also not accustomed to the culture of taxi drivers separately requesting tips.

The UT app has a tab to specify tips of 15-30%, but even if you do not press it, drivers do not request tips separately. Since the payment is deducted from the registered card, you just need to get off at the destination. Uber rides called through UT have a system where drivers and passengers rate each other. Passengers can give a rating out of 5 stars and leave reviews. Perhaps because records remain, there were no inconveniences such as speeding or reckless driving, and the service was smooth. The vehicle condition was also good.

UT seems to be losing ground in competition compared to KakaoT, which has a dominant market share in Korea, but it is receiving favorable reviews as a decent service for users traveling abroad or foreigners coming to Korea. Reviews left by existing users mainly included opinions such as "easy to use," "the driver was very kind," "had a safe trip in an unfamiliar place," and "had meaningful conversations."

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