Seoul mulls adding electric two wheels to urban public transport system

[Photo by MK DB]

Electric kick scooter and other light-weight vehicles have been bulking up as last-mile transportation in South Korea through active fundraising and mergers and acquisitions and expect additional traction from administrative engagement on micromobility.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is mulling to add electric two-wheel kick scooters and bicycles in the country’s public transportation information system ‘Transport Advice on Going Anywhere (TAGO)’ database, according to industry sources on Tuesday.

Once the micromobility firms register in the database, route guide services by portals and mobility platforms can add last-mile personal mobility option to their public transportation information and servicing.

Management and supervision of the vehicles will also be easier.

“Registration with the TAGO will help personal mobility to join the country’s public transportation system and can further expand the related market,” said an official from the IT industry.

Kakao Mobility has made a strategic investment in Studio G, a demand responsive transport service startup founded by Kim Hyun-myung, a professor of transport engineering at Myongji University.

Demand responsive transport (DRT) is a form of shared private transport without a fixed route or time table to achieve best operation efficiency with fewer vehicles.

As a strategic investor, Kakao Mobility plans to provide necessary support and cooperate on advancement of the DRT service technology.

Hyundai Motor and Kia recently announced an equity investment in Gbike, operator of e-kick Gcooter that acquired the Korean auto makers’ micromobility sharing platform ZET earlier. Gcooter operates nearly 45,000 e-kicks on a 2.5-million user base. Under the partnership, they will focus on the development of own e-kicks and better safety features. Currently, there are 200,000 e-kicks available on Korean roads that are mostly Chinese-made.

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