Agoda, the travel booking website operated by Agoda Company, has effectively admitted to facilitating illegal ‘white taxi’ services that transport passengers in Japan. Despite repeated inquiries sent on December 12th and 13th through its PR agency, Partneron Japan, there had been no response until now. On the 14th, this publication reported that a ‘white taxi’ marked with a beginner’s symbol was dispatched via Agoda’s partnership with Elife Limo for an airport transfer service.For more information.
Agoda, like other foreign online travel agencies (OTA) that have acknowledged their involvement in facilitating ‘white taxi’ services, emphasized being a travel platform and commented, “Recently, it has been brought to our attention that some of our partner companies that provide Japanese airport transfer services may be offering services known as ‘white taxis,’ which are not authorized as public transportation. (…) Our partner companies are rigorously verifying that the transport providers have the necessary licenses and certifications, and those that are found to be non-compliant have already been removed.”
According to Agoda, the partner companies are thoroughly investigating the transport providers and have agreed not to accept any reservations from those who cannot provide the required licenses and certifications. Furthermore, they plan to revise their reporting process.
Agoda is also refunding the full fare to customers who have raised concerns about being transported by a ‘white taxi.’
Previously, companies such as Booking.com, Klook, and KKday have mostly admitted to the fact that they have facilitated ‘white taxi’ services.
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This article was generated using automatic translation by GPT-4 API. The translation may not be accurate.
