Kakao Mobility said on the 17th that it has revamped the Kakao T Mobility as a Service (MaaS) platform's "unified search" feature.
With this overhaul, Kakao Mobility now provides users with destination-specific information tailored to their search targets. A Kakao Mobility official said, "As a result, it has evolved into a feature that enables broad 'exploration' of information around the destination and before and after arrival, going beyond simple search."
For example, when you search for an airport, real-time congestion and parking status are provided as specialized information. When you search for a shopping mall, it also shows currently operating pop-ups or exhibitions and information on internal facilities. The feature finds and delivers high-priority information based on the typological characteristics of the destination being searched.
To provide a wide range of destination-specific information, Kakao Mobility is securing specialized data by linking with various public institutions and private partners, including Korea Airports Corporation, Incheon International Airport Corporation, Designpress Co., and Hyundai Department Store.
A new "suggestion banner" feature that recommends specific activities related to the destination has also been added. If a user searches a major hospital through unified search, the suggestion banner that appears together lets the user select a medical department, then view information provided by that hospital for the chosen department, including the detailed location by department. When searching for Seoul Station, it displays advice on the fastest way to move from the Seoul Station subway platforms to the KTX platforms, offering useful tips for the journey via the suggestion banner.
Kakao Mobility plans to expand the places and categories in unified search where specialized information can be delivered, and to further advance the service so users can broadly check information needed before and after travel. It is also reviewing ways to apply generative artificial intelligence (AI) to display personalized search results.
Ryu Geung-seon, CEO of Kakao Mobility, said, "We undertook this unified search overhaul so users can fully benefit from Kakao Mobility's strengths in offering various transportation modes such as taxis, buses, and air travel as services, and in holding data specialized for travel contexts across many destinations."