Namwon-si Expands Happy Call Taxi Service Again This Year

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Nosik] Namwon City, Jeonbuk Province, announced on the 1st that it will continue to expand the operation of the Happy Call Taxi, which has been running to guarantee the practical mobility rights of residents in public transportation underserved areas.

The Happy Call Taxi service was originally targeted at residents living in villages where the distance from the village to the bus stop is more than 500 meters. Since last year, the service has been expanded to include residents living in villages with fewer city bus operations regardless of the area, and it is currently operating in 170 villages.

This year, the monthly usage limit has been raised from 5 to 10 times, and it is expected that the usage performance will increase as village residents use the Happy Call Taxi more freely than before.

To assist residents experiencing inconvenience due to the reduction of city bus routes, since April 1, 2019, one Happy Call Taxi has been assigned and operated in each of the 12 townships excluding the Happy Village Bus operation areas (Unbong, Inwol, Ayoung, Daegang), and it is receiving increasing positive responses from transportation-vulnerable seniors and residents.

This year, the city plans to continuously improve the Happy Call Taxi service to further increase user satisfaction based on township council meetings, feedback from residents (users), and satisfaction survey results.

The Happy Call Taxi operates on a demand-responsive basis from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., running between the village hall and the bus stop or between the village hall and the township center. Residents of the respective villages can conveniently and affordably use the service by paying only 500 won.

Lee Hwan-joo, Mayor of Namwon City, said, “We will do our best to minimize the inconvenience of public transportation use through customized transportation welfare policies for transportation-vulnerable groups such as students and seniors in township areas.”

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