SKT-Coactors Collaborate on 'Goyohan M' Service Following Goyohan Taxi
Equipped with ADAS for the Hearing Impaired... Expanding to 100 Vehicles Next Year
A hearing-impaired driver operating GoyohanM is making the sign language gesture for "independence" in front of the vehicle.
[Asia Economy Reporter Seulgina Jo] Known as the "Taxi that even moved the President," the "Goyohan Taxi," recognized as a successful case of coexistence, is expanding its business with sports utility vehicles (SUVs). Under the name "Goyohan Mobility (GoyohanM)," 10 SUV vehicles will run in the city starting next month. To this end, 15 hearing-impaired drivers have been employed.
The service provider, Coactus, emphasized the change in employment form by stating, "Unlike the existing Goyohan Taxi drivers who belonged to a corporate taxi company, GoyohanM directly employs drivers and operates on a monthly salary basis." Previously, Coactus, which received a regulatory sandbox (regulatory exemption system) demonstration exception from the Ministry of Science and ICT, is expanding its business as a "directly managed transportation operator."
SK Telecom and Coactus introduced the achievements of their two-year collaboration and announced the newly launched "GoyohanM" service through an online briefing on the morning of the 29th. GoyohanM will start service from the 1st of next month. As with Goyohan Taxi, communication between hearing-impaired drivers and passengers is handled via tablet PCs. Starting with 10 SUVs, the plan is to expand to 100 vehicles by the second half of 2021.
◆ What’s Different About the 'Fully Salaried' GoyohanM?
Unlike the existing Goyohan Taxi, GoyohanM operates under Coactus’s direct employment system. Through direct employment and a full monthly salary system, a more stable working environment has been created for disabled drivers. Choosing SUVs instead of regular mid-sized taxis is also a feature aimed at providing passengers with a better ride experience. In the first half of next year, a dedicated mobility service specialized for people with disabilities or mobility difficulties will also be launched.
Customers can make reservations up to 24 hours in advance with a call fee of 2,000 KRW anywhere in Seoul. For real-time calls, the service will initially operate mainly in Gangnam-gu and gradually expand to other areas. Unlike Goyohan Taxi, which could be encountered randomly on the street or through random calls, GoyohanM can only be called via T map Taxi and a dedicated application.
Coactus CEO Minpyo Song explained, "The price is similar to the basic mid-sized taxi fare," and added, "There is no ride refusal." For passengers unfamiliar with tablet operation, a voice command feature automatically sets the T map destination and delivers messages through real-time captions. It is also possible to request a preferred driver through a driver preference setting function.
The monthly salary paid to GoyohanM drivers is set at a baseline of 2.4 million KRW plus performance bonuses. CEO Song explained, "We confirmed data showing that taxi drivers under the quota system earn an average of about 2.55 million KRW per month," and added, "We started operating a model where GoyohanM drivers can earn more."
Regarding concerns that the 2,000 KRW call fee might be a barrier to use, he said, "For real-time calls, no separate call fee is charged. It only applies to reservation calls," and added, "Other mobility platforms also charge more for reservations, so it should not be a big issue."
◆ Win-win for Large, Medium, and Small Businesses... SKT Develops Customized Driver Support System
SK Telecom, which empathized with the purpose of Goyohan Taxi driven by hearing-impaired drivers and proposed cooperation to Coactus two years ago, once again took on the role of the "drivers’ ears" by mobilizing its technological capabilities.
GoyohanM vehicles are equipped with an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) tailored for the hearing impaired and linked with the T Care smartwatch. This is a measure to minimize unexpected accidents. SK Telecom developed customized equipment based on the insight that existing ADAS, which alerts drivers to accident risks, was designed mainly for non-disabled drivers. Unlike general ADAS, which provides real-time driving information such as lane departure and forward collision warnings through auditory and visual signals, the hearing-impaired customized ADAS delivers warning situations via wrist vibrations through the T Care smartwatch.
Additionally, SK Telecom has established an emergency SOS system in cooperation with the National Police Agency. When a hearing-impaired driver presses the SOS button on the smartwatch, real-time location and on-site information are transmitted to 112.
Park Guyong, team leader of SK Telecom’s Roadrider Project Team, said, "We developed the system considering that sound is meaningless to the hearing impaired, enabling them to receive traffic information through smartwatch vibrations," and added, "After about three months of testing, we checked the vibration intensity that accurately delivers alerts."
CEO Song emphasized, "There are many mobility services worldwide, but GoyohanM is the only one with ADAS installed as a basic feature in all vehicles," and added, "We aim to be the safest mobility service." This is also the biggest differentiating point that Coactus highlights between GoyohanM and other mobility platforms.
◆ Creating Social Value: 'Goyohan Taxi' Has Completed 150,000 Rides in Two Years
The cooperation between SK Telecom and Coactus dates back to June 2018. Both parties, sharing a consensus on social advancement for people with disabilities and mobility service innovation, are regarded as a representative collaboration case based on the ideas of a social venture and the ICT capabilities of a large corporation.
Two years ago, President Moon Jae-in, who encountered Goyohan Taxi at a social economy fair, said, "Thank you for creating Goyohan Taxi. I support you." Online, many passengers who used Goyohan Taxi voluntarily left positive reviews.
Currently, Goyohan Taxi has completed over 150,000 rides, and the number of hearing-impaired drivers has reached 62. There have also been overseas awards and investment news. In February this year, Coactus jointly received the top prize in the "Mobile Use for Accessibility and Inclusion" category at the MWC Glomo Awards with SK Telecom. In June, it attracted investments from MY Social Company and Wadiz Ventures.
Yeojiyoung, head of SK Telecom’s Open Collaboration Group, said, "Beyond the salary increase for hearing-impaired drivers, it is meaningful that ICT technology has helped reduce the limitations that acted as barriers when people with disabilities enter society," and added, "We will take the lead in solving social problems and strengthening the social safety net by utilizing ICT in the 5G era."
CEO Song also said, "I am pleased to start a second challenge with the directly managed transportation service 'GoyohanM' through continuous collaboration with SK Telecom," and added, "We will strive to provide quality jobs to hearing-impaired people with warm technology that changes the world, while offering passengers the highest level of service."
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