Kakao T to become available in 37 countries, including U.S., Australia, Taiwan

Kakao Mobility's Ride-hailing service Kakao T will become available in 37 countries by the end of 2023. [KAKAO MOBILITY]

Kakao Mobility's ride-hailing service Kakao T will become available in 37 countries by the end of this year, with the Korean mobility firm set to expand its footprint in Australia, Taiwan, the Middle East and the United States.

The ride-hailing service will launch in Australia, Taiwan, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Kuwait from Thursday, where users will be able to request rides, ranging from taxis to premium sedans and midsize SUVs, through the Kakao T app.

Kakao Mobility joined forces with local mobility firms like Australia's Silver Top, Taiwan's Yoxi and Dubai-based Careem to launch its services overseas.

The fares will differ depending on the country, the Korean company said.

In the U.S., the company partnered with San Francisco-based Lyft for the service.

"The expanded overseas ride-hailing service has allowed [Kakao T] to support users' mobility seamlessly outside Korea," Kakao Mobility CEO Ryu Gung-seon said.

"[Beyond] ride-hailing service, [Kakao Mobility] will make more examples of global advancement and enhance the service to become a global mobility service provider."

Kakao Mobility, which has over 90 percent share of Korea's taxi-hailing market, started its first overseas business in Japan in 2018. It is expanding its service by partnering with local mobility firms and directly building local infrastructure like it did in Guam.

Recently, some foreign ride-hailing apps have become available in Korea for foreigners to use Kakao T's taxi service.

BY JIN EUN-SOO [jin.eunsoo@joongang.co.kr]