"Refusal of Taxi Rides Without Masks" to Expand...? Seoul City Says "Not Allowed"

Busan Allows Taxi Drivers to Refuse Passengers Not Wearing Masks

Seoul City Says It Conflicts with Mask Recommendation Guidelines

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-gi] Recently, Busan City has temporarily allowed taxis to refuse passengers who do not wear masks, drawing attention as to whether this will expand to other local governments.

According to Busan City on the 19th, to prevent the community spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) and to ensure the safety of taxi drivers, the city has permitted taxis to refuse passengers not wearing masks until the end of this month. This decision was made considering the high risk of infection due to the nature of taxi operations, where drivers closely interact with passengers in a small, enclosed space.

Since taxi drivers could become super-spreaders crossing regions if infected, Busan City allowed refusal of boarding under the taxi transportation business terms and conditions. According to Article 10 of Busan City's Taxi Transportation Business Terms and Conditions, if a taxi passenger does not comply with requests for safety or maintaining order inside the vehicle, transportation can be refused.

Busan City is the first local government nationwide to allow taxis to refuse passengers not wearing masks.

However, other local governments such as Seoul City are negative about refusing taxi rides due to mask issues. Seoul City states that refusing taxi rides conflicts with the 'Mask Usage Recommendations' announced by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on the 3rd of this month, and that mask supply is still not smooth despite the expansion of public mask distribution.

The recently revised mask recommendations advise the use of health masks only for those suspected of infection, those in contact with infected individuals, or high-risk groups with underlying conditions. It also includes that if the risk of infection is low, cloth masks can be helpful instead of health masks, and that mask-wearing is not necessary in uncrowded outdoor areas, at home, or in individual spaces.

For taxi drivers, wearing masks is mandatory, and vehicle disinfection and hand sanitizers must also be provided. A Seoul City Taxi Logistics Division official said, "Given the social atmosphere where mask-wearing is not enforced for citizens who are not at high risk, it is difficult to introduce refusal of passengers not wearing masks, and it is not being considered at all."

A Busan City Taxi Transportation Division official said, "This is a choice made considering the safety of both elderly taxi drivers and passengers," adding, "Refusal of boarding is now possible but not mandatory, and so far, no complaints have been received regarding taxi ride refusals."

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