Seoul City, 'Disabled Voucher Taxi' 400,000 Trips Annually... 4.4 Times Increase in 4 Years

Seoul City Signs 3 Agreements to Support 75% Fare Subsidy for Call Taxi Use
Voucher Taxi Fleet Increased by 10,000 Vehicles, More Than Doubled Expansion

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Seoul City announced on the 29th that the number of uses of the ‘Disabled Voucher Taxi,’ which supports 75% of taxi fares to guarantee mobility rights for people with severe disabilities, nearly reached 400,000 last year. This is a 4.4-fold increase compared to 90,000 cases in the first year of introduction in 2017.

The Disabled Voucher Taxi system supports 75% of the taxi fare (up to 30,000 KRW per trip) when a person with severe mobility impairment uses call taxis (Nabi Call, Macaron Taxi, Gukmin Cab) contracted with Seoul City. It can be used up to 40 times per month (up to 4 times per day) per person. Currently, it operates with a total of 17,400 vehicles.

Seoul City’s analysis attributes the increase in usage to continuous policies promoting utilization, such as more than doubling the number of voucher taxis and raising the taxi fare support rate to the highest level among local governments nationwide.

Seoul City first increased the voucher taxi fare support rate step-by-step from 60% in the first year of implementation to 75% in 2019, the highest among local governments nationwide, reducing the fare gap with special transportation means such as disabled call taxis. In November last year, Seoul City signed an agreement with KST Mobility (Macaron Taxi) to add 10,000 voucher taxi vehicles and introduced a reservation service, enhancing user convenience. Usage of voucher taxis increased by more than 10% within six months after the agreement.

Accessibility is also being strengthened. Macaron Taxi will launch a ‘Voucher Taxi Dedicated App’ on the 1st of next month, considering the application accessibility for visually impaired users. Users will be able to apply for use more quickly and conveniently via smartphone without calling the call center.

Meanwhile, voucher taxis are available to Seoul citizens aged 14 or older who have registered for disabled call taxis or disabled welfare calls. First-time users must register as voucher taxi users at their local community service center or on the Seoul Welfare Portal website.

Kim Seon-soon, Director of Seoul City Welfare Policy Office, said, “Voucher taxis have become a lifeline for people with severe disabilities who find it difficult to use public transportation,” adding, “Seoul City will continue to listen closely to users’ opinions to improve the mobility rights guarantee project for people with disabilities and strive to create a Seoul where anyone can move conveniently and safely without distinction between disabled and non-disabled.”

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