KM Solution, a subsidiary of Kakao Mobility’s transportation franchise business, was awarded a Ministerial Commendation for its ‘Platform-Based Temporary Taxi Driver Qualification Operation’ at the ‘2022 Korea Digital Innovation Awards.’
The ‘Digital Innovation Awards,’ hosted by the Ministry of Science and ICT, is a prominent government award ceremony in the field of information and communication technology, recognizing companies, institutions, and individuals who have contributed to the national economic development through digital convergence and utilization. This year, the event took place on the 3rd of November at the Pangyo Startup Campus in Seongnam, attended by 20 organizations and 13 distinguished individuals.
The ‘Platform-Based Temporary Taxi Driver Qualification Operation,’ which received the Ministerial Commendation, was pioneered by KM Solution in September 2020 as the first in the domestic platform taxi industry and was implemented in Kakao T Blue, spreading throughout the platform taxi sector. It was highly praised for positively influencing the inflow of new personnel and revitalization of the taxi industry over the past two years.
Recognized for providing work experience opportunities before acquiring taxi licenses, addressing the chronic labor shortage in the taxi industry, and contributing to the activation of the platform-based franchise taxi sector.
Through the ‘Platform-Based Temporary Taxi Driver Qualification Operation,’ KM Solution has been able to monitor the operational efficiency of each Kakao T Blue vehicle in real-time based on an IT control system, utilizing sales support technologies such as automated dispatching and mobile navigation, creating an environment where even novice drivers can participate in practical work immediately. In fact, in the first half of this year, over 40% of Kakao T Blue drivers from KM Solution, and more than 50% of the employment of Kakao T Blue drivers under 40 years of age, were sourced through the temporary qualification, proving its effectiveness.
In the traditional taxi industry, which has operated based on cruising sales, monitoring and analyzing the operational status of each vehicle has been challenging, requiring a long and complicated certification process to work as a taxi driver. This has served as a significant hurdle for new personnel entering the taxi market, which has been often cited as a major cause of the aging of the domestic taxi market today.
CEO An Kyujin of KM Solution stated, “Receiving the Ministerial Commendation for the ‘Platform-Based Temporary Taxi Driver Qualification Operation’ is the result of our continuous efforts to contribute to the development of the taxi industry and market revitalization based on ICT technology,” adding, “We will continue to work diligently to ensure that taxis become high-quality jobs based on our social responsibility, leveraging the big data analysis know-how and advanced IT technologies unique to Kakao Mobility and KM Solution.”
Lee Sang-jin daedusj@autodiary.kr