KakaoTaxi app hits the road

By Lee Ji-hye

After Daum Kakao released its passenger app for Android users Tuesday, the Internet services company launched an iOS version of the KakaoTaxi app on Thursday.

With the familiarity of location maps embedded into KakaoTalk messenger, it did not take long to grasp how the process works.

So we decided to try it out.

The best part is the much-simplified process of communication. With one touch to pinpoint my desired destination, the driver never had to ask endless follow-up questions about where the building was or what road I wished to take ㅡ not to mention the slow process of typing in each letter of the destination into the car’s navigation system.

Instead, the cab-hailing app detects the user’s location through the mobile device’s GPS and enables users to drop a pin on the precise destination the passenger desires. This information is sent automatically to all cab drivers in the area who have the driver-version of the app.

Within two minutes, a cab driver pulled up in front of my house, a period that would seem almost miraculous for Gangnam during rush hour.

KakaoTalk users can simply login to the app with the same e-mail address and password for the mobile messenger app, with no need to sign up separately.

Drivers also found KakaoTaxi more convenient and said the system was similar to Korea’s one of requesting a ride by telephone.

“It’s more like the call-taxi services that we used to have, but because KakaoTalk is the nation’s messenger app, the calling services are just replaced with the new app,” cab driver Lim Seung-gook, 32, said, adding that I was his first passenger through KakaoTaxi.

“Everyone has it downloaded, but it’s obvious that younger people will use the app better. Some people didn’t want to learn the new system, they liked the current system better.

“It’s really convenient for us because we get the directions directly onto our navigation screen, and we don’t have to ask exactly where it is, how long it takes and what road is the best for traffic.”

There is a simple procedure for drivers to register for the KakaoTaxi system.

“We just take a picture of our driver’s license and the certificate that we have that enables us to carry on our business and send it over,” Lim said. “It only took one day to get the app running.”

Lim’s taxi company also provided help in downloading the app and a brief introduction to using it as a driver.

The online cab-hailing service is seen as a challenge to Uber, the California-based service that has faced heavy opposition from state regulators and taxi drivers.

“People don’t want to get into trouble with the government, which is why almost all of the drivers are trying to stay away from Uber,” Lim said.

“Nobody really wants to take that risk.”

The Korea Times Digital News Team has put together a step-by-step guideline in English for those who wish to use the KakaoTaxi app. For full resolution : https://goo.gl/x4mAse