Kakao Mobility announced on the 27th that it is expanding its foreigner-exclusive global mobility platform ‘k.ride’ from domestic service to 12 overseas countries.
‘k.ride,’ which was launched last June for foreigners visiting Korea, is accelerating its entry into the global market by expanding its service to countries including the United States, Canada, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Cambodia, and Saudi Arabia.
With the k.ride app, users can easily access various vehicle-hailing services abroad, such as taxis, premium sedans, and midsize SUVs, linked with major local mobility companies.
As Kakao Mobility’s first foreigner-exclusive global platform, k.ride has provided services like Kakao T Blue, Venti, Black, and Deluxe taxis to foreigners visiting Korea from over 100 countries. It has also been involved in events like the ‘Seoul Lantern Festival’ and the ‘Korea Grand Sale.’
As of this month, the number of domestic taxi calls via k.ride surpassed 600,000, with cumulative downloads in app stores worldwide also exceeding 600,000. About 58% of all users are from China, Japan, the United States, Taiwan, and Singapore, reflecting a distribution similar to foreign tourist statistics visiting Korea.
The platform allows for easy registration with just a phone number and Google, Apple account, or email authentication, offering over 100 language auto-translation features in destination search and chat with drivers to reduce language barriers. It also supports overseas-issued cards and international simple payment options.
Ryu Geung-sun, CEO of Kakao Mobility, stated, “k.ride is a foreigner-exclusive global mobility platform that anyone can use without the constraints of language, account, or payment, and has been well-received by foreigners visiting Korea.” He added, “With the launch of overseas services, we will continue to enhance the platform to ensure convenient access to mobility services from anywhere in the world.”