Kakao T Blue Articles Also Charge Cancellation Fees... Revision of Fee Distribution Policy

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] Kakao Mobility announced on the 21st that it has completed the application of the Kakao T Blue cancellation fee distribution policy and will introduce the RSE (Rear Seat Entertainment) system as an additional revenue model for franchise operators.

Previously, in December last year, Kakao Mobility held the ‘Kakao T Blue Franchise Council Win-Win Meeting’ with franchise councils from seven regions nationwide including Seoul, Daegu, Gwangju, Busan, Incheon, Daejeon, and Pohang to discuss practical measures for mutual growth.

The ‘Kakao T Blue cancellation fee distribution policy reform,’ identified as the top priority during the win-win meeting, has been applied since the 15th. The cancellation fee distribution method changed from being allocated only to the franchise member companies, which are the contracting parties, to also being distributed to drivers (crews).

This cancellation fee reform was made possible as KM Solution and DGT Mobility, the franchise headquarters, transferred a portion of the cancellation fee ratio allocated to the franchise headquarters to the drivers as part of a mutual growth effort to improve drivers’ working conditions.

As a result, the distribution ratio of the Kakao T Blue cancellation fee, which occurs only when a call is canceled after 1 minute of vehicle dispatch, changed from the previous franchise headquarters (5): franchise operators (5) to franchise headquarters (2): crew (3): franchise operators (5), allowing drivers to receive cancellation fees starting from the 15th.

30% of the cancellation fee paid to franchise drivers will be automatically accumulated as points in the Kakao T Taxi driver app on the 15th of the following month through monthly aggregation, and a system is being developed to enable real-time accumulation.

Kakao Mobility has also prepared a plan for ‘developing additional revenue models for franchise taxis for long-term mutual growth.’

Currently, Kakao Mobility is testing the RSE system to improve the taxi service experience by providing multimedia services to taxi users, and plans to expand it into the advertising sector to establish an operational foundation as a revenue model for franchise taxis.

The RSE system is an infotainment platform channel that has already proven its effectiveness in advertising and enhancing passenger convenience in overseas mobility markets such as Japan. Kakao Mobility is currently testing the expansion of infotainment linked with RSE to taxi users by providing partnered content such as web dramas, animations, news, science, and current affairs through real-time driving routes to passengers, limited to directly managed transportation companies.

Within the first half of this year, the RSE system will be expanded to 10,000 Kakao T Blue vehicles, and all necessary procedures such as review and advertiser recruitment for applying advertising content will be completed, with plans to share advertising revenue with franchise member companies within the year.

Shin Donghoon, Executive Director of Kakao Mobility’s MaaS Business Division, said, “To build a win-win ecosystem and enhance trust with the franchise taxi industry, we are prioritizing the rapid implementation of feasible issues among various pending matters and swiftly executing those requiring preparation.” He added, “We will continue to discuss and seek practical measures for mutual cooperation with the franchise council.”

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