400-Daesi Beom Unyeong Sijak
Naenyeon 3000-Daekkaji Hwagdang
Chogi Gabija 3-Nyeon Jjae Yuji
Tos Yeongye·Gisa Cheowu
Daehyeong Taxi Sijang 1-Wi Seoneon
[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Seung-jin] Tada, which had suspended its service due to amendments in the Passenger Transport Service Act, is making a comeback with its large taxi service ‘Tada Next.’ At the first press meeting held on the 14th after his inauguration, Lee Jeong-haeng, CEO of Tada, declared re-entry into the taxi market, stating, "We will differentiate ourselves as a mobility platform that satisfies both users and drivers and aim to become the number one in the large taxi market."
1,500 Vehicles Within This Year, 3,000 Next Year
Tada’s goal for this year is to become the number one in the large taxi market. Currently operating about 400 vehicles on a pilot basis, Tada Next plans to increase this to 1,500 vehicles within the year and expand to 3,000 vehicles next year.
The domestic large taxi market lacks a clear leader. Kakao Mobility’s large taxi service, ‘Kakao T Venti,’ operates about 900 vehicles. Jin Mobility’s ‘I’m Taxi’ has around 500 vehicles, and Tada Next operates about 400 vehicles, so there is no overwhelming market leader. Tada plans to leverage its past ‘Tada Basic’ service, which secured a premium image and a strong fan base, as a key strength going forward. Since launching the Tada Next beta service in November last year, it has secured 130,000 new subscribers, with a cumulative total of 2.1 million subscribers, and expects to rapidly expand its user base after the official service launch.
CEO Lee explained, "80% of the users who actively use Tada services are early adopters. Maintaining steady customer response for over three years is Tada’s biggest differentiator."
Expecting Synergy with ‘Toss’
Another strength is the synergy with fintech (finance + technology) company Toss, which became its parent company last year. Toss has secured 20 million members by emphasizing convenient financial services. Linking Toss’s financial services with Tada is expected to drive rapid growth for Tada. Toss integrated its mobile simple payment service ‘Toss Pay’ with Tada. Since December last year, Toss has also been running a cashback event that returns a certain amount of money when using Tada Next, providing financial support ahead of the official launch of Tada Next.
No Hyun-chul, head of Tada’s business division, emphasized, "The dropout rate during the payment method registration process was very high, but it improved more than tenfold after integrating Toss’s simple payment. More than 20% of new Tada users have come through Toss."
Looking ahead, various possibilities are anticipated, including an evolved simple payment system for ride-hailing services and the development of financial products combined with Tada that can be used by both users and drivers.
Prioritizing Improvement of Driver Treatment
Efforts are also being made to improve driver treatment to secure stable drivers. Drivers will receive 15 million KRW in promotional funds and stable salaries above the industry average. No emphasized, "As word spreads about improved treatment, drivers are joining. We will actively inform individual and corporate taxi drivers about the improvements made through comfortable rides."
AI will also be used to reduce vehicles roaming without passengers. CEO Lee stressed, "By analyzing demand by region with AI and providing vehicles with demand forecasts in 10-minute intervals, we will reduce the empty ride rate, which averages 40% in the taxi industry, and prevent users from waiting for vehicles." He added, "Competition among mobility platforms is intensifying. We will make Tada Next the new standard for taxi mobility."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
