"Dear passengers, no mask no ride" ... Busan City temporarily allows taxi ride refusals

Busan City Hall

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Kim Jong-hyo] Busan City has decided to temporarily allow taxi drivers to refuse rides to passengers not wearing masks until the end of March to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) and to alleviate the anxiety of transportation workers.

Busan City announced on the 13th that from the 15th of this month until the end of the month, taxi drivers will be permitted to refuse rides to passengers who do not comply when requested to wear masks.

Due to the nature of taxis being enclosed spaces where drivers face passengers one-on-one, taxi drivers are vulnerable to infection. Additionally, since travel routes tend to be relatively long, there is a high possibility that they could become carriers transmitting infectious diseases between regions.

Accordingly, the Busan Taxi Association officially requested the city to allow refusal of rides to taxi passengers not wearing masks to ensure the safety of transportation workers and passengers. Busan City accepted the industry's request and temporarily permitted refusal of transportation to passengers not wearing masks until the 31st of this month.

A Busan City official stated, "Allowing refusal of rides to passengers not wearing masks is an unavoidable choice for the safety of taxi passengers and transportation workers," adding, "It signifies that both passengers and drivers should participate together in preventing the spread of COVID-19 and fostering a social atmosphere of mask-wearing."

According to Article 10 of the current Busan Metropolitan City Taxi Transportation Business Transportation Terms and Conditions, if a taxi passenger does not comply with requests for passenger safety or maintaining order inside the vehicle, the transportation worker may refuse transportation.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.