Wooty "Suspends Pilot Operation of Premium Service 'Black'"

Concerns Confirmed from Taxi Industry and Other Stakeholders
Legal Vehicle Use... 'Ride-Sharing Brokerage' Is a Rumor

UT, a joint venture between Uber and T Map Mobility, announced on the 30th that it will suspend the pilot operation of its premium service 'Black.'

UT had been conducting a pilot operation of the Black service since early December last year, targeting special markets such as foreign visitors to Korea and corporate clients requiring protocol, utilizing luxury sedans and professional chauffeurs. To this end, it signed an agreement with LANE4 Company, which holds a passenger car platform transportation business (Type 1) license.

UT stated, "Last year, we obtained permission from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport for platform linkage to justify the necessity of the Black pilot service and its continuous improvement and supplementation in the future, and have been legally conducting a small-scale pilot operation in the Seoul area for a limited period." However, "we have confirmed concerns from various stakeholders and, after careful internal review, decided to terminate the pilot operation service early at the end of this month."

Previously, the taxi industry opposed the pilot service, claiming that, contrary to the original business plan, the general public could also use UT's pilot service. Taxi organizations even sent protest letters to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and UT.

UT maintains that it did not use unauthorized vehicles. UT said, "The Black service was operated by LANE4, which legally provided authorized vehicles after obtaining the passenger car platform transportation business (Type 1) license from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport," adding, "This differs from the legal status of vehicles operated under the exemption rule for driver brokerage of rental cars before the 2020 amendment of the Passenger Transport Service Act."

Furthermore, UT added, "Rumors that UT mediates or promotes peer-to-peer ride sharing are completely untrue."

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