Oh Kwang-won, left, CEO of Tago Solutions, poses with Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Kim Hyun-mee, center, and Kakao Mobility CEO Jung Joo-hwan during a launching event of new ride-hailing service at the Pier59 Studios in Seoul, Wednesday. / Courtesy of Tago Solutions



By Baek Byung-yeul



A group of taxi operators and Kakao jointly launched a "rejection-free" taxi hailing service, they said Wednesday.



Tago Solutions, a taxi franchise service operator, said it teamed up with Kakao Mobility, the transportation service arm of Kakao and launched a taxi hailing service Waygo Blue and a female-only cab service Waygo Lady.



Users of the Waygo Blue service are required to pay 3,000 won ($2.66) as a basic service charge and make a reservation through Kakao Mobility's Kakao T taxi hailing app.



The Waygo service is a first example of the compromise made between taxi companies and the shared mobility operator.



Taxi unions and Kakao Mobility have had a string of conflicts due to the latter's bid to launch a carpool service.



After a series of meetings between the government, Kakao and taxi unions, they reached a compromise on March 7 to allow Kakao Mobility to run a ride-share service for four hours a day on weekdays while enabling taxi companies to run an Uber-style ride-hailing service using the remaining taxis.



Oh Kwang-won, CEO of Tago Solutions, emphasized the Waygo service will be rejection free.



"Tago Solutions was established to provide better mobility service to customers. The biggest problem passengers have had was taxi drivers' refusal to take customers. When customers call for the Waygo Blue service, the drivers cannot reject or refuse passengers," Oh said during a press conference at the Pier59 Studios in Seoul.



Comprised of 50 taxi companies in Seoul and Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, Tago Solutions is established in May 2018 in a bid to improve profitability of the struggling taxi industry by providing a quality mobility service.



In addition to refusing passengers, taxi drivers have been criticized for their reckless driving and rudeness.



To solve this issue, Oh said the Waygo drivers are employed on a monthly salary basis.



"While taxi drivers have to pay some of their daily earnings to their companies, the Waygo drivers will get paid their monthly salary which will be about 2.6 million won ($2,300)," he said adding the Waygo drivers are thoroughly trained by the company's driver education program.



To improve customer satisfaction, the Waygo Blue taxis are equipped with air purifiers and deodorizing products.



Tago Solutions said trial operation begins in Seoul this Wednesday with about 100 Waygo Blue cars. Currently about 600 drivers have received training through the firm's driver education program. The firm said the service will be officially launched in April and will expand its service coverage.



For the Waygo Lady service, the company said it has hired 20 female taxi drivers. The company said those who want to use the Waygo Lady service can make a reservation through its webpage, not the Kakao T app.



Kakao Mobility said the new ride-hailing service is designed to meet the demands of consumers who want to experience improved taxi services.



The Waygo Blue and Lady services will be more convenient and better for customers," Kakao Mobility CEO Jung Joo-hwan said. "To be a more beloved service, Kakao Mobility will give full support to Tago Solutions ranging from our artificial intelligence technology-based car allocation system to our demand forecasting system."

