KakaoTalk-Taxi: What Uber Can’t Accomplish

So, there’s chatter that KakaoTalk is going to make way into the taxi brokering business as part of the “Sharing-Economy.” As previously noted, I personally don’t think that term accurately describes the monetization of having a business that brokers between taxi drivers and passengers.

However, inserting KakaoTalk into this discussion is tremendously useful. Unlike KakaoTalk, Uber doesn’t claim to be a social network service. Although you are asked to create a “mini” profile, that profile is never linked to other Uber users within its system. KakaoTalk fundamentally bridges this distinction. By doing so, it helps to instill far more “trust” into the system of Uber.

Now, I’m not suggesting that Uber’s present “5-star” scale doesn’t serve some of the these concerns of “trust.”

But what Uber can’t do that KakaoTalk (should do in this new venture) can is to allow KakaoTalk users to share both positive or negative taxi experiences and ratings within their private social-network of strong-tie relationships of family and friends. In effect, If your sister or digitally inclined mother experiences a horrible taxi-cab ride, and delivers a 1-star rating via her app, you’re generally more likely to believe the rating, and avoid the driver; than had you read the rating from a complete stranger. Multiple this over your entire network of KakaoTalk family and friends, and suddenly “KakaoTaxi” becomes a trustworthy system of recommendations or warnings of good or bad taxi drivers from people whom you trust. Uber would probably have a very difficult time replicating this in Korea.