Daum Kakao sets out to destroy Uber in Korea with KakaoTaxi
BY Pakman · April 2, 2015
Popular transportation mobile app Uber has made things much more convenient for a lot of users like myself. Instead of calling for a taxi at an expensive price or hailing a cab for who knows how long, through Uber, people can find the fastest available driver, look at the fare estimate, and set up an easy pick up location.
But it seems like Uber's taxi service reign will soon be coming to an end--at least in Korea. On March 30, Daum Kakao launched its KakaoTaxi service that may rival and even take over Uber services.
Daum Kakao, the same people who bring you KakaoTalk, is following the footsteps of other chatting apps such as Line and WeChat, who both have taxi-calling services. KakaoTaxi's format, however, is much more like Uber as the app detects your location, finds you a driver, sends you the driver's information for approval, and gives you the driver's estimated time of arrival.
The difference? KakaoTaxi has government approval. As KakaoTaxi will be hiring drivers with taxi licenses, it is a legal app that will keep both taxi services and the government happy. KakaoTaxi has even teamed up with the Korea Smart Card Corp., allowing passengers to use their subway cards to pay for rides. The convenience. I envy it.
KakaoTalk is also safe as it allows passengers and drivers to text or call via the app. Passengers and drivers therefore no longer have to worry about sharing one another's numbers when they need to communicate.
These privacy settings and safety precautions are definitely something Uber can improve on. I would love for Uber to at least develop an in-app chat or call service. Unfortunately, Uber may not be able to improve on anything, at least in Korea, as it faces charges for violating transportation laws for hiring drivers without taxi licenses.
The downside to KakaoTaxi is that it is currently only available for Android users. It will be available for iOS platforms later this month. As for those of us outside of Korea, well, we still have good ol' Uber and Lyft!
