GANGNEUNG, Mar. 27 (Korea Bizwire) — Another loophole has been revealed in the lax vehicle rental method that allows people to make payments through mobile phone applications to take over vehicles without face-to-face interaction. The loophole was once again brought to light by an accident in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, where a car crashed into the [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 28 (Korea Bizwire) — Renault Samsung Motors Corp. said Wednesday it will provide more Twizy ultracompact electric cars to a local car sharing service, a move to strengthen its leading stance as an electric vehicle maker. Renault Samsung will gradually supply another 45 Twizy models to the LH Happiness car-sharing service available at [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 31 (Korea Bizwire) — Kia Motors Corp. will be launching two new “mobility programs,” making it easier for those who currently rent or own Kia vehicles on a long-term basis to have their existing vehicles replaced for newer models. Kia’s “switch” program caters to rentals of the car maker’s new K7 and Sorento [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 6 (Korea Bizwire) — Kakao Mobility, a South Korean firm that provides ride-hailing and driver-for-hire services, said Thursday that it has invested 1.5 billion yen (US$13.4 million) for a 3.4 percent stake in Japan’s largest taxi-hailing service, JapanTaxi Co., in a move to expand its services beyond the home market. The two firms [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 29 (Korea Bizwire) — Global ride-hiring application operator Uber Technologies Inc. said Wednesday that it will comply with local regulations as it seeks to expand its presence in the tech-savvy South Korean market. “We will not launch products or services in Korea that do not comply with the regulatory framework,” said Barney Harford, [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 1 (Korea Bizwire) – The South Korean government has found that “ChaCha,” an app-based car sharing service similar to that offered by Uber around the globe, is operating illegally. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) said that after numerous complaints from members of the public regarding the legitimacy of ChaCha’s services, [...]
SEOUL, Jul. 24 (Korea Bizwire) — In order to prevent the misuse of carsharing service vehicles, the government is pushing for a new system that would require users to verify their carsharing ID through a mobile device. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) revealed yesterday that a new verification system that would require [...]
SEOUL, Apr. 9 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s IT firms are tapping deeper into the car-sharing industry, market watchers said Sunday, as demand for such services is expected to grow sharply over the upcoming years. According to the data compiled by Navigant Research, the global market for car-sharing services is expected to grow 21.8 percent [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 26 (Korea Bizwire) — SK Holdings, the holding firm of South Korean energy and telecom conglomerate SK Group, said Thursday it has launched a car-sharing business in Malaysia by joining hands with South Korea’s No. 1 car-sharing startup SoCar. SoCar Malaysia — a joint venture between SK Holdings and SoCar — kicked off [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 5 (Korea Bizwire) – Ride sharing services haven’t taken off in South Korea due to safety concerns and discomfort with meeting strangers, a new study has found. According to the joint study conducted by the Korea Startup Forum and Research & Research, fewer than 2 in 10 South Koreans have used a ride [...]