How to Use Kakao Taxi
By Cho Namhee
The chat application Kakao Talk has been downloaded by over 100 million users worldwide. In March 2015, Kakao Talk launched its new service, Kakao Taxi. Unlike other taxi reservation services, this application is cost-free. As two-thirds of the Korean population has downloaded Kakao Talk, it was easy for Kakao Taxi to get 5 million downloads in its first year.
On the day I tried out Kakao Taxi for the first time, the driver, Mr. Hong, explained how the service works. “Whenever you send a request via this service, an alert is sent to the driver who is nearest to you. So, it means that I was the one who was nearest to your location when you requested a ride.” He said, “Most of my customers who use Kakao Taxi are in their twenties and thirties. They commonly use the application at rush hour and on late weekend nights.”
A step-by-step guide to using Kakao Taxi:
- The first time you start the application, you will be required to enter your phone number to confirm your usage of the application.
- The application shows your starting point by tracking your phone’s location. Pin the destination on your map.
- As soon as the nearest taxi driver checks your registration, his name, license plate number and location will pop up on your phone.
- When your taxi arrives, check the license plate number to be sure it is the correct one. You can also send your taxi driver’s information to a friend as an additional safety precaution.
Caution: You may cancel your registration if you grab another taxi before your reservation arrives, but keep in mind that this inconveniences the driver. If you cancel your reservation frequently, Kakao Taxi will block you from using the service temporarily.