"Hearing-impaired People to Find Taxi Employment Easier"…'Temporary Taxi Driver License System' Sandbox Approved

KCCI and Ministry of Science and ICT Grant Written Approval for 4 'ICT Sandbox' Cases on the 22nd

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Yoon-joo] Hearing-impaired individuals can now drive platform taxis before officially obtaining taxi driver qualifications. Additionally, a shared kitchen used by multiple businesses will open for the first time in a local area.

The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry Sandbox Support Center and the Ministry of Science and ICT announced on the 22nd that the ‘ICT Sandbox Deliberation Committee’ held a written meeting and approved three cases of temporary taxi driver qualifications based on platforms, as well as eco-friendly shared kitchens. This written review applied the ‘Fast Track’ process to enable companies to commercialize and launch their services quickly. It omitted preliminary review meetings for similar tasks and processed them in writing.

With the approval of the ‘Temporary Taxi Driver Qualification Operation’ (Goyohan Taxi) passing the sandbox on this day, hearing-impaired individuals can operate taxis under a temporary license even before officially obtaining taxi driver qualifications. Goyohan Taxi is a taxi service created by Co-Actors, a social venture supported by SK Telecom and SK Energy, to create jobs for the hearing-impaired. It received passenger transport business permission through the ICT Sandbox in June last year.

Goyohan Taxi eliminates unnecessary conversations between passengers and drivers. All communication is conducted via written messages on an in-vehicle tablet PC. Currently, 21 hearing-impaired drivers are operating, and there are plans to hire about 50 more drivers in the future.

Under current law, to drive a taxi, one must pass the taxi driver qualification exam and complete mandatory legal education (16 hours). However, if there are no disqualifications such as a criminal record, a temporary license can be issued, and an official license must be obtained within three months after the temporary license issuance.

On this day, besides Co-Actors, Papamobility, which targets mobility-vulnerable groups such as women, children, and the elderly, and Jin Mobility, a premium van taxi service, also received approval to operate under temporary taxi driver qualifications.

The ‘Shared Kitchen Service’ (Neo Food System) will also open in Gumi, Gyeongbuk. This is the eighth approval of a shared kitchen sandbox where multiple businesses share one kitchen, and the first in a local area.

Meanwhile, the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry Sandbox Support Center is the first private sandbox organization in Korea. It supports all industrial fields including ICT convergence, industrial convergence, and financial innovation sandboxes. Since its launch in May last year, 72 innovative products and services have received sandbox exemptions.