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| Taxi drivers march on Cheong Wa Dae in downtown Seoul during their protest against Kakao's planned launch of the ride-sharing service, Oct. 18. / Korea Times photo by Hong In-ki |
By Jun Ji-hye
It is not uncommon to see taxi drivers refuse to take passengers on the main streets of Seoul in areas in Itaewon and near Hongik University at night.
This happens because some cab drivers take passengers in accordance with their own destinations. But this causes a serious imbalance between supply and demand, causing a great inconvenience to the people.
Refusing passengers is cited as one of the major complaints about taxi services, along with reckless driving, violation of traffic lights and rudeness.
Citizens who have experienced these unpleasant situations, seem to expect Kakao's envisioned launch of Kakao T Carpool, a ride-sharing service designed to connect ordinary drivers to passengers during the morning and evening rush hours, to help resolve the imbalance between supply and demand, and other problems.
But it is not certain when the Uber-like service will begin as taxi drivers across the country have been on strike to protest the IT firm's plan, claiming the service will reduce the number of their passengers and kill the industry.
This clearly appears to be against what a majority of citizens want as the Realmeter survey conducted Oct. 19 showed 56 percent of respondents support the service because it will benefit them. Those opposing the service accounted for 28.7 percent.
In a survey conducted on the anonymous online community Blind last week, an overwhelming 90 percent of respondents said they approved of the service.
An office worker who works in Seoul and lives in Gyeonggi Province said, "It is almost impossible for those living in Gyeonggi Province to get a taxi at night in Seoul as drivers refuse passengers. I think cab drivers who are on strike are seeking their own interests."
According to Rep. Lee Hu-sam of the ruling Democratic Party, the number of regulation violations by taxi drivers was 103,187 over the past five years, and among them, refusing passengers accounted for 27,788 or 27 percent.
During a walkout by thousands of taxi drivers, Oct. 18, a strike organizer said in a statement, "We will undergo self-purification efforts to root out refusing passengers and other unkind acts. We will also develop an innovative service utilizing artificial intelligence (AI)."
But citizens still seem to be cynical.
Politicians also appear to be failing to speak for citizens, considering strong unions representing taxi drivers, which could affect elections.
Rep. Kim Sung-tae, the floor leader of the Liberty Party Korea, said the new service is driving taxi drivers over the edge, while Rep. Kim Kyung-jin of the Party for Democracy and Peace, criticized Kakao for not "making a concession."
On-demand transportation platforms, such as the ride-sharing service, have already received a flurry of interest worldwide as a means of reducing traffic congestion and passenger inconvenience.
Such services, incorporated with ICT technologies, have been actively developed in several countries already.
Grab Car, a ride-sharing service started in 2014 by Malaysia native and Harvard Business School student Anthony Tan, has expanded to about 30 Asian countries.
The beginning of new things will always have side effects. Discussion needs to take place to reduce such side effects but user convenience should not be ignored.
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