Uber Taxi Launches Premium Service 'Uber Black'... "Providing Various Mobility Options"

Wooty will launch Uber Black, a premium taxi service that had been blocked by opposition from the taxi industry, on the 16th.

On the same day, Wooty held a 'Media Coffee Chat' event in Jongno-gu, Seoul, announcing the official launch of Uber Black. The Uber Black drivers consist of experienced individual taxi drivers with a certain period of accident-free records and high ratings within the application. The vehicles used include luxury sedans, sport utility vehicles (SUVs), and large limousines.

In early December last year, Wooty piloted the Black service targeting foreigners and corporate clients requiring protocol by utilizing luxury sedans and professional chauffeurs. During this process, it signed an agreement with Rain4Company, a Type 1 (platform transportation business) operator that provides transportation services by purchasing or leasing vehicles without a taxi license. Under current law, Type 1 operators can provide platform-based transportation services without a taxi license by paying a contribution of 5% of sales or 800 KRW per trip. However, strong opposition from the taxi industry brought the project to the brink of collapse.

Wooty excluded Rain4Company, which it had previously collaborated with, from this Uber Black service. It promised transparent commission calculations, avoided forced dispatch and call blocking, and established short-distance dispatch as a basic principle. Peak time incentives were also offered.

Uber Black will gradually expand its service areas in Seoul and Incheon Airport. Calls and reservations can be made through the Uber Taxi app without any additional call fees. The fare operates on a pre-determined fare system, allowing passengers to confirm the final fare before boarding. The pre-determined fare system does not change fares due to traffic congestion or route detours, reducing fare anxiety for consumers, and is applied in global markets including the United States.

Song Jin-woo, CEO of Uber Taxi, stated, "Since service quality, ride experience, and efficient dispatch are important, we do not plan to aggressively expand the Black service from the start."

However, he added, "For Uber Taxi, we currently believe it is time to grow and are considering market expansion, but we are not overly concerned about monetization. For platforms, sustainable growth is difficult without a meaningful market size, so in the mid to short term, we aim to secure users and increase loyalty."

CEO Song also said, "(Uber Black) is part of service expansion to provide various mobility options that meet consumer demand," adding, "We will do our best to provide strong support to drivers through continuous service training and kit provision, and to offer consistently high-quality and differentiated services to users."

Since changing the taxi call service name to Uber Taxi in February, Wooty has seen a double-digit monthly increase in users in Seoul. The scale has more than doubled compared to the same period last year in Ulsan. In particular, the number of foreign users has significantly increased as Uber Taxi can be used domestically and internationally without installing a separate app.

Additionally, Uber Taxi charges only a 2.5% commission on total fare revenue and provides separate marketing incentives, contributing to coexistence and the creation of a healthy ecosystem in the taxi industry. It offers language barrier-free service through in-app message translation and provides a designated pick-up location service to ensure easy taxi use even in areas with high foot traffic.

Wooty is jointly owned by global ride-sharing company Uber with a 51% stake and T Map Mobility with a 49% stake. Uber first entered the Korean market in August 2013 but faced illegal controversies and re-entered in April 2021 as a joint venture with SK Square affiliate T Map Mobility.