Starting Tonight at 10 PM, Seoul Taxi Night Surcharge Up to 40%

Late-Night Surcharge Extended to 10 PM Ahead of Year-End Taxi Crisis
Base Fare to Increase Starting February Next Year

On the afternoon of July 18, taxis were waiting to pick up passengers at the taxi stand at Seoul Station. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jung-wan] Seoul's taxi late-night surcharge will start from 10 PM on the 1st. The previous standard, which applied from midnight to 4 AM, will be extended by 2 hours, and the late-night surcharge rate for taxi fares will increase by up to 40%.

According to Seoul City, the "Taxi Transportation Business Fare Rate Adjustment Plan" with these details will be officially implemented from 10 PM on that day.

For mid-sized taxis, the late-night surcharge period, which was originally applied from midnight to 4 AM the next day, will be extended by 2 hours from 10 PM to 4 AM the next day. The surcharge rate will be adjusted from the existing 20% to 20-40%.

From 11 PM to 2 AM, when taxis are in short supply, a 40% surcharge will be applied, and during the remaining hours, a 20% surcharge will be applied. Accordingly, the basic late-night taxi fare from 11 PM to 2 AM is expected to rise from the current 4,600 won to a maximum of 5,300 won.

With this adjustment, premium and large (sedan) taxis, which previously had no late-night surcharge, will also have a 20% surcharge applied from 10 PM to 4 AM the next day. The "outside city surcharge" for trips leaving the Seoul area will also be newly applied at 20%.

From February 1st next year, the basic taxi fare is also planned to increase. The basic fare for mid-sized taxis will rise by 1,000 won from the current 3,800 won to 4,800 won, and the basic distance will be reduced by 400 meters from the current 2 km to 1.6 km. Premium and large taxis will also see an increase of 500 won from the current 6,500 won per 3 km to 7,000 won starting February next year.

Earlier, Seoul City finalized the late-night surcharge and fare adjustment plan after holding a public hearing in September and deliberations by the Price Countermeasure Committee in October. Considering the increased burden on citizens, plans to improve taxi services will also be prepared.

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