South Korea’s most popular messenger Kakao’s transport services are picking up speed, spanning the gamut from taxi-hailing to navigation.
“We are expanding transport services with the aim of relieving customers’ daily inconveniences through mobile services,” the company’s spokesperson said.
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(Kakao) |
Kakao Taxi, which was launched in March last year, is a popular service, with 150 million calls in total made through it so far.
The taxi-hailing service has also raised drivers’ incomes by effectively connecting passengers and drivers, the tech firm said.
Drivers who use the service saw their daily income rise by around 15,000 won ($13), the company said, citing its survey of 9,730 taxi drivers. Around 70 percent of respondents also said that less time was wasting looking for passengers.
Chauffeur service app Kakao Driver, which was unveiled in May, has also gained traction by providing safer and more convenient service to customers, the company said.
The app enables customers call a chauffeur via their smartphones and to be assigned with a chauffeur with their name and photo. The customer does not have to explain their locations as this can be found through a mobile map. Payment for the service can also be made through smartphones.
Another of Kakao’s services is Kakao Navi, which was launched in February after the firm acquired the nation’s second-largest mobile navigation app Kimgisa. Within three months, weekly users have risen by 40 percent, as the quickest routes are offered via real-time information, the company said.
The tech company also recently rolled out Kakao Metro and Kakao Bus to provide information to passengers. It plans to launch a mobile parking lot service later this year.
By Shin Ji-hye (
shinjh@heraldcorp.com)
