"Register Entry Logs with One Phone Call" KT Supplies 'Safe Taxi Call Check-in' to 10,000 Buses in Busan

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] KT announced on the 12th that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Busan Corporate Taxi Association to introduce the ‘Safe Taxi Call Check-in’ service to 10,000 corporate taxis.

Under this MOU, the Busan Corporate Taxi Association will apply the service to 10,000 corporate taxis within Busan Metropolitan City to utilize it for tracking routes when confirmed COVID-19 cases or close contacts occur inside taxis. Busan is the first metropolitan city to introduce the ‘Safe Taxi Call Check-in’ service to its taxis. According to Busan City, as of 2019, there are 24,375 registered taxis in Busan, and more than 40% of them will have the ‘Safe Taxi Call Check-in Service’ implemented.

Safe Taxi Call Check-in is a service that allows registration of entry logs for COVID-19 prevention with a single phone call. After boarding a taxi, passengers call the assigned 080 number of the vehicle, and their boarding information is recorded and safely stored. By adding recipients via ARS, boarding information can be sent via text message to family or acquaintances. Notably, in taxis equipped with Safe Taxi Call Check-in, boarding records of passengers who pay in cash can be maintained and verified if necessary, aiding the smooth progress of COVID-19 epidemiological investigations.

Starting with corporate taxis in Busan, KT plans to expand the Safe Taxi Call Check-in service to regions nationwide including Seoul, Gyeonggi, Daegu, and Gwangju. The goal is to distribute the service to 120,000 taxis, which is over 50% of the 230,000 taxis nationwide, by the end of the year.

In addition to ‘Safe Taxi Call Check-in,’ KT provides text and phone check-in services based on intelligent network systems such as communication networks and 080 number resources to local governments, public institutions, and financial sectors nationwide. The average daily usage is recorded at 2.2 million cases.

Jinwoo Lee, Head of KT Busan and Gyeongnam Regional Headquarters, stated, “KT has decided to provide the Safe Taxi Call Check-in service to support COVID-19 prevention for Busan citizens,” and emphasized, “We will continuously support Busan citizens so they can ride taxis safely without worrying about COVID-19.”

Sungho Jang, Director of the Busan Corporate Taxi Association, said, “There are cases where COVID-19 spreads through taxis, and we decided to introduce the ‘Safe Taxi Call Check-in’ to enable quick and accurate epidemiological investigations when confirmed cases occur, so that citizens can use taxis safely.”