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Taxi drivers to go on strike in protest of Uber-like carpool service

All News 16:40 October 17, 2018

SEOUL, Oct. 17 (Yonhap) -- Tens of thousands of taxi drivers in Seoul and the surrounding Gyeonggi Province plan to walk off the job on Thursday to hold a massive rally in protest of an Uber-like carpool service.

The taxi industry has strongly protested the planned launch of Kakao Carpool, a ride-sharing service designed to connect non-taxi drivers to passengers during morning and evening rush hours, claiming the service would kill the industry.

On Thursday, taxi drivers plan to go on a one-day strike and hold a massive protest rally in Seoul.

Many of Seoul's 49,242 privately owned taxis and 22,603 corporation-owned taxis are expected to take part in the strike, according to industry officials.

In Gyeonggi Province, where there are a total of 37,104 taxis, about 21,000 drivers are expected to walk off the job and attend the protest rally, according to the provincial government.

"Taxi drivers in Gyeonggi Province are expected to suffer the most (from the carpool service) because there has been high taxi demand from people commuting from Gyeonggi Province to Seoul," a taxi firm official said. "As our livelihoods are at stake, many drivers are expected to participate in the rally."

About 4,500 taxis in Incheon, west of Seoul, are expected to go on strike too.

Some taxi drivers in other provincial regions are expected to join the strike, but their participation is not expected to affect taxi service in the regions.

Local governments have put together emergency measures to minimize inconvenience from the strike, such as increasing subway and bus services and extending their service hours.
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