Taxi fares in Seoul to go up on Saturday
Arirang News
2019-02-16
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Taxi fares in Seoul have been hiked starting today... for the first time in five years.
As you might expect,... it has triggered different reactions from both passengers and drivers alike.
Lee Min-sun reports. The new fares took effect on Saturday at 4 AM.
The base fare went up almost 27 percent to 3-thousand-800 won, or about 3 U.S. dollars and forty cents.
It's the first increase since October 2013.
People in Korea have gotten used to taxis being relatively cheap over the years, so even though drivers have promised better service, some people are unhappy about the higher fares.
"As a student, this is a huge increase. It would be goof if they improved their service, but there's no one else in the car with us, so it's hard to make sure that happens."
"It’s about time that taxi fares go up, but it seems rather sudden. I'll take public transportation more. They've always talked about improving their service, but it's never really happened."
It might seem logical to expect better service if you're paying more, but drivers say even with the increase... the fares aren't very high.
"It’s still nothing compared to other countries. If passengers want better service, then they should pay more. Regular taxi drivers will do just as they've always done and keep refusing passengers."
"When taxi fares go up, we lose passengers for a while. But I will always try to provide better service, not just because the fare has risen."
The Seoul Private Taxi Association has promised better service in exchange for the higher pay, like keeping their cars cleaner, drivers not smoking in the car and putting more taxis on the streets at night. But many people aren't convinced they will.
The city government says it will check up on their service and has already taken various measures.
Recently it penalized 22 taxi companies caught refusing passengers.
It also plans to introduce taxis that are for women only.
Meanwhile the province of Gyeonggi-do, which surrounds the capital, is also looking at increasing its base fare for the first time in five years.
Lee Min-sun, Arirang News.
As you might expect,... it has triggered different reactions from both passengers and drivers alike.
Lee Min-sun reports. The new fares took effect on Saturday at 4 AM.
The base fare went up almost 27 percent to 3-thousand-800 won, or about 3 U.S. dollars and forty cents.
It's the first increase since October 2013.
People in Korea have gotten used to taxis being relatively cheap over the years, so even though drivers have promised better service, some people are unhappy about the higher fares.
"As a student, this is a huge increase. It would be goof if they improved their service, but there's no one else in the car with us, so it's hard to make sure that happens."
"It’s about time that taxi fares go up, but it seems rather sudden. I'll take public transportation more. They've always talked about improving their service, but it's never really happened."
It might seem logical to expect better service if you're paying more, but drivers say even with the increase... the fares aren't very high.
"It’s still nothing compared to other countries. If passengers want better service, then they should pay more. Regular taxi drivers will do just as they've always done and keep refusing passengers."
"When taxi fares go up, we lose passengers for a while. But I will always try to provide better service, not just because the fare has risen."
The Seoul Private Taxi Association has promised better service in exchange for the higher pay, like keeping their cars cleaner, drivers not smoking in the car and putting more taxis on the streets at night. But many people aren't convinced they will.
The city government says it will check up on their service and has already taken various measures.
Recently it penalized 22 taxi companies caught refusing passengers.
It also plans to introduce taxis that are for women only.
Meanwhile the province of Gyeonggi-do, which surrounds the capital, is also looking at increasing its base fare for the first time in five years.
Lee Min-sun, Arirang News.
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