Government to Amend Taxi Fare Guidelines

Taxis that charge higher rates during rush hour and lower rates during afternoon when there are less passengers could become a reality.

The Ministry of Construction and Transportation announced on Monday that it will amend the "Passenger Transportation Business Fare Adjustment Guidelines" this year. This will liberalize the taxi fare system, which was divided between ordinary taxis and deluxe taxis, starting next year.

Consequently, taxis providing a variety of services such as offering lower base rates during afternoons compared to rush hours, employing all female or all elderly drivers, and not imposing extra charges after crossing regional boundaries will appear.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to differentiate base rates for deluxe taxis, which are fixed at 4,500 won, to 3,000, 4,000, and 5,000 won in the first half of next year.

Other municipal governments are planning to present various taxi services and fare systems in the first half of next year after gathering suggestions from taxi companies and civic groups.

Kwang-Hyun Kim kkh@donga.com