Seoul Taxi Fares to Rise Next Year

The basic taxi fare in Seoul will increase 26 percent from the current W3,800 to W4,800 next year (US$1=W1,355).

Under an amendment drafted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Thursday, the initial distance for the basic charge will also be shortened from the current 2 km to 1.6 km, while the time for late-night surcharges will start two hours earlier at 10 p.m.

If the amendment is passed, the increase will become effective in February next year, rising for the first time in four years.

The meter will also be ticking faster, from W100 per 132 m to W100 per 131 m or from W100 per 31 seconds to W100 per 30 seconds.

The late-night surcharge rate will rise from the current 20 percent to a two-tier structure, where a surcharge of 40 percent is levied during high-demand hours between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. That will increase the basic fare during those hours from the current W4,600 to W5,300.

A public hearing will be held next Monday. "We need to raise taxi fares to make it easier to find a taxi late at night as more drivers would be motivated to work," a city official said. "But some parts of the plan could be revised in the process of gathering public opinion."