Hyundai Motor Mobility Starts... Neighborhood Taxi 'Shuckle' to Operate from Next Month

Community Mobility Service Named 'Shuckle'
Six 11-Seater Solati Modified Vehicles Deployed... Large Shared Taxi
Pilot Service to Start Mid-Next Month in Eunpyeong New Town

Hyundai Motor Mobility-related trademark registered with the Korean Intellectual Property Office (Photo by Korean Intellectual Property Office)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] Hyundai Motor Company has chosen the name "Shucle" for its first-ever "community-type mobility service" debuting in South Korea. When the Shucle pilot service launches next month, it is expected to accelerate Hyundai Motor Group's pursuit of the future mobility market.

According to industry sources on the 29th, Hyundai Motor will begin the beta (pilot) service of Shucle in the Eunpyeong New Town area of Seoul starting from the 14th of next month. Prior to this, on the 3rd of this month, Hyundai filed a trademark application for "Shucle" with the Korean Intellectual Property Office. Shucle has been classified under designated goods related to vehicle sharing, including car sharing services, automobile transportation, taxi transportation, and carpool transportation brokerage.

Shucle is a demand-responsive mobility service based on artificial intelligence (AI) technology, developed through collaboration between Hyundai Motor and KST Mobility (KSTM). Simply put, it is a "neighborhood taxi" concept accessed via an application. It was developed to facilitate free movement within living hubs such as residential areas, schools, and local shops, thereby enhancing convenience for short-distance travel. Although taxi ride-sharing is currently prohibited by law, the project became feasible after being designated as a regulatory sandbox demonstration exception by the Ministry of Science and ICT in November last year.

Initially, Hyundai will deploy six 11-seater minibuses, the "Solati," in certain parts of Eunpyeong District. When a vehicle is called through the app within the service area, passengers will be picked up and dropped off in a shared ride format. It is expected that applications for participation in the pilot project for residents of Eunpyeong New Town will begin as early as this week.

The most notable feature of Shucle is its use of AI technology to analyze real-time road conditions and travel demand to determine the optimal route. When a vehicle is called, the nearest stop from the user's current location is indicated, and boarding and alighting are possible at points within a three-minute walk. Users can also check in advance the time it will take for the vehicle to arrive after calling and the time to reach the destination.

A designated seating system is also provided to assist convenient travel. Notably, passengers accompanied by infants are automatically assigned car seat seats. Additionally, Hyundai operates Shucle with a monthly flat-rate subscription plan without limits on usage frequency. The fee is reported to be around 39,000 KRW per month per person.

Hyundai is also open to expanding the service area after a three-month pilot operation in Eunpyeong New Town. They plan to shortlist candidate areas based on multiple proposals. Future demonstration projects will be promoted through consultations with the government and local governments based on the results of this pilot.

Industry insiders see the significance of this project in that Hyundai Motor Group, the largest automaker in South Korea, has taken its first step into mobility services domestically. Hyundai recently declared its transformation into a "smart mobility solutions company" and is making multifaceted efforts.

In particular, last October, Hyundai established the domestic mobility business corporation "Motion" to serve as a hub for actively promoting business in South Korea. As its first project after establishment, Motion built a cooperative model with domestic rental car companies in the vehicle sharing sector. The plan is to provide rental car companies with a self-developed platform and app to generate and analyze data such as vehicle location and status. This platform-based mobility service aligns with the demand-responsive service that Shucle aims for. Earlier, Hyundai also presented a blueprint to invest 1.8 trillion KRW in mobility services and platforms by 2025.

An industry official said, "Although it may seem late compared to global automakers like Volkswagen, it is significant that Hyundai can now collect data, which is the core of future car technology," adding, "In a situation where expanding mobility services is difficult due to vehicle sharing-related regulations, Hyundai will continuously consider various ways to broaden its business scope."