Nam Hyun-woo has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2013, mostly covering business and politics. He currently belongs to the Business Desk where he covers topics such as emerging tech, AI, ICT and Korea's chaebol community. Prior to joining the team, he was the paper's correspondent for the presidential office of Korea during the Yoon Suk Yeol and Moon Jae-in administrations.
Kakao Mobility forms ties with Japanese taxi association
Kakao Mobility CEO Ryu Geung-seon, right, poses with X Taxi representative Kiyokawa Susumu after signing a memorandum of understanding on smart taxi infrastructure at Kakao Mobility's headquarters in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. Courtesy of Kakao Mobility
By Nam Hyun-woo
Kakao Mobility signed a memorandum of understanding with a Japanese taxi association to establish smart taxi infrastructure, paving the way for the digitization of Japan’s taxi industry, the ride-hailing platform said Sunday.
Kakao Mobility said it signed the agreement with X Taxi during a visit by a delegation from the Japanese taxi association to its headquarters in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province, on Thursday.
X Taxi was established in 2020 with the goal of driving innovation in the Japanese taxi industry. Its members include CEOs and other key officials from more than 100 taxi companies across Japan, including in Tokyo, Hokkaido, Chiba, Kanagawa and Okinawa.
X Taxi representative Kiyokawa Susumu was among the more than 10 officials from the association who visited Kakao Mobility headquarters to gain insights into digital transformation aimed at addressing the aging workforce issue in Japan’s taxi industry.
During the meeting, Kakao Mobility provided a detailed presentation of its Kakao T service, including its taxi firm management software, unmanned kiosks for more efficient vehicle dispatch and app-based taxi meters.
Kakao Mobility also shared its experience with autonomous driving pilot programs conducted in regions including Seoul, Sejong, Pangyo, Daegu and Jeju. The company also introduced technologies for its Seoul Autonomous Vehicle program, which has been operated by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Kakao Mobility since 2022.
Under the agreement, both sides agreed to expand exchanges in the mobility sector, and cooperate in the digital transformation of taxi management systems, smart dispatches and demand forecasting, along with enhancing ride experiences for foreign passengers.
“The way Kakao Mobility operates its platform, especially its efforts to coexist with the existing taxi industry while preparing for the autonomous driving ecosystem, was very impressive,” Kiyokawa said. “If these operational models and technologies are applied to Japan’s taxi services, they could greatly support the digital transformation we are looking for.”
“We expect the exchanges between the taxi industry of Korea and Japan will expand further on the occasion of X Taxi delegation’s visit,” Kakao Mobility CEO Ryu Geung-seon said. “Based on our accumulated mobility data and technologies, we will continue exploring various collaboration opportunities for global expansion.”