"Getting a Taxi Is Like Picking Stars from the Sky"... Concerns Over Late-Night 'Taxi Crisis' After Social Distancing Lifted

Citizens "Catching a Taxi Takes at Least an Hour"... Concerns Over 'Nightmare on the Way Home'
Experts "Taxi Crisis Issue Involves Complex Factors"
"Need to Abolish Private Taxi Restrictions, Expand Night Buses, etc."

A citizen is getting into a taxi.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] "On weekend nights, it's a competition to catch a taxi."

With the full lifting of social distancing measures, it is expected to become even more difficult to catch a taxi during late-night hours. Last weekend, Kim (age 30), who was heading home after a gathering near Hongdaeipgu Station in Seoul, said, "I waited for over an hour on the main road to catch a taxi but couldn't get one. Even repeatedly trying to call taxis through the app was useless." He added, "The area was crowded with people like me trying to catch taxis, and I barely found out about a late-night bus heading toward my home, but even that was packed with people."

After two years since the outbreak of COVID-19, daily life is returning to normal, but with increased outdoor activities and gatherings, the 'nighttime return nightmare' is reoccurring. Around 10 p.m. on weekend nights, major entertainment districts such as Gangnam, Hongdae, and Jongno in Seoul become congested with citizens trying to catch taxis.

Choi, a worker in his 20s, said, "It was already difficult to catch a taxi on weekend evenings in Seoul, but it has become even harder after COVID-19." He added, "Fortunately, the weather is not cold now, but last winter at Seolleung Station, I shivered in the cold for nearly two hours before finally catching a taxi someone was getting out of."

The worsening 'taxi crisis' after the lifting of social distancing measures was already anticipated. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, taxi demand decreased, causing many taxi drivers to quit or move to other industries such as parcel delivery and food delivery.

According to Seoul City, as of October last year, the number of corporate taxi drivers was 20,955, a 31.4% decrease from 30,527 in 2019 before COVID-19. The corporate taxi operation rate from January to September last year was only about 34.47%. This means that while taxis exist, there is a shortage of drivers to operate them. In the case of private taxis, many drivers are elderly and tend to avoid night shifts, which is also cited as a reason why catching a taxi late at night is difficult.

Night view of Seoul Station Bus Transfer Center. / Yonhap News

As concerns about the taxi crisis grow, Seoul City plans to gradually increase the number of 'Owl Buses' operating during late-night hours (11 p.m. to 6 a.m.) from the current 9 routes with 72 vehicles to 14 routes with 100 vehicles starting from the night of the 18th. With this expansion, the daily passenger capacity of Owl Buses will increase from 15,000 to 20,000, an increase of about 5,000 passengers. While this is expected to somewhat alleviate the traffic difficulties on the way home, it remains uncertain whether it can meet the increased taxi demand due to the return to normal life.

Experts analyze that the late-night traffic congestion issue is the result of multiple factors, including taxi-related policies and systems. Professor Yoo Jung-hoon of Ajou University's Department of Transportation Systems Engineering said, "Ultimately, this problem arises from an imbalance between supply and demand. Currently, private taxi drivers operate under a three- or four-shift system, working two days and resting one day, but a bold removal of this system is considered a possible solution." He added, "The shift system was introduced long ago to address energy issues and prevent overwork, but since times have changed significantly, it is necessary to reconsider this system."

He continued, "Regarding Owl Buses, it is necessary to increase late-night bus services between Seoul and major hubs in Gyeonggi Province such as Bundang, Hanam, Suwon, or Incheon." He explained, "Since taxis in Seoul tend to accept calls with distant destinations like Gyeonggi or Incheon first, increasing buses traveling to Gyeonggi and Incheon would help alleviate traffic congestion within Seoul."

Professor Yoo also emphasized, "In the mid to long term, the taxi market has become quite rigid as new mobility services have failed domestically. It is necessary to relax regulations flexibly so that consumers can use various transportation services and actively expand new mobility services."

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