Kakao Mobility announced on the 27th that it will expand the service of its foreigner-only global mobility platform 'K-Ride' from Korea to 12 additional countries abroad.
'K-Ride' has been expanding its service area since being launched in June of last year for foreigners visiting Korea, growing its reach to the United States, Canada, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Cambodia, and Saudi Arabia, accelerating its entry into the global market.
Users can conveniently access various vehicle-hailing services such as taxis, premium sedans, and mid-to-large SUVs with just the K-Ride app, with services linked to major local mobility providers.
K-Ride is the first foreigner-only global platform launched by Kakao Mobility, providing services such as Kakao T Blue, Venti, Black, and Deluxe taxis to foreigners visiting Korea from over 100 countries. Operations in conjunction with events like the 'Seoul Light Chrorong Festival' and the 'Korea Grand Sale' have also continued.
As of this month, the number of domestic taxi hails through K-Ride has surpassed 600,000, and the cumulative download count of the app in over 100 countries worldwide has also exceeded 600,000. Of all users, 58% are from China, Japan, the United States, Taiwan, and Singapore, reflecting a similar distribution to that of visiting foreign tourists.
This platform allows users to easily sign up by inputting their phone number and authenticating via Google, Apple Account, or email, and it provides automatic translation features in over 100 languages including English, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, and Arabic for destination searches and chatting with drivers, lowering language barriers. It also supports overseas-issued cards and overseas easy payment functionality.
Ryu Geung-sun, CEO of Kakao Mobility, noted, 'K-Ride is a foreigner-only global mobility platform that anyone can use without limitations related to language, account, and payment and has received a positive response from foreigners visiting Korea.' He added, 'With the launch of this overseas service, we will continue to advance it so that mobility services can be conveniently accessed from anywhere in the world.'