Taxis are parked at a riverside park in Seoul on Feb. 18, 2019, to have their meters replaced. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Feb. 10 (Korea Bizwire) — App-based taximeters used under temporary permit issued by the country’s so-called regulatory sandbox program will be permanently approved by the government.
A regulatory sandbox is a concept that allows small-scale, live testing of innovations by private firms in a controlled environment under the regulator’s supervision.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced Wednesday that a revised bill approving the app-based taximeters will come into effect in the first half of this year.
These ‘app meters’ are unlike previous electronic taximeters that count the pulse generated by the turning wheels to calculate the fare. Instead, they use global positioning system (GPS) to calculate the distance and time spent on each trip to work out the fare.
The revised bill clearly distinguishes electronic taximeters from app meters with separate standards for each type in regards to their production, maintenance, and use.
The app meters are expected to help expedite the innovative processes in the mobility industry by operating in various shapes and sizes tailored to the needs of various forms of services.
With the new app meter in place, customers will be notified of the route, time, and fare before boarding the cab. They will be able to decide whether to take a taxi based on the estimated fare, which is calculated before the trip begins.
Even when they are in a cab, customers can access real-time information on the route being taken as well as the fare, ensuring transparency as well as rooting out concerns about the manipulation of taximeters.
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
