Gyeonggi Province's demand-responsive welfare taxi service surpassed 1 million users last year for the first time, the provincial government announced on the 26th.
The program allows residents in rural, mountainous, and suburban areas with limited bus routes to use taxis for 1,000 to 2,000 won—equivalent to standard bus fares.
The province recorded 1,056,054 users in 2024, a 39-fold increase from 26,858 when the service launched in 2015. Participating villages expanded 9.8 times during the same period, from 88 to 867.
Users pay only 1,000 to 2,000 won as determined by each city or county, with the remaining taxi fare covered by subsidies from national, provincial, and municipal governments. The program primarily supports essential mobility needs for elderly and transportation-disadvantaged residents, including hospital visits, grocery shopping, and trips to government offices.
The taxi industry has also benefited. Increased weekday daytime demand for daily transportation has created expansion opportunities for local taxi operators. The call-based system has also reduced the burden of waiting for passengers.
Gyeonggi Province plans to invest 10.316 billion won in demand-responsive taxi programs this year. The budget allocates 1.548 billion won for the Gyeonggi Welfare Taxi operated by the province and municipalities, 7.8 billion won for public taxis operated by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and cities, and 968 million won for rural taxis operated by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and counties.
The province plans to refine operational details including service areas, operating hours, and eligibility criteria in collaboration with cities and counties. It will also strengthen mobility rights for residents in transportation-underserved areas by incorporating usage surveys, satisfaction assessments, and field feedback.
"We will address operational shortcomings based on usage data, satisfaction surveys, complaints, and field input to help residents in transportation-underserved areas use the service more reliably," said Jung Chan-woong, Director of the Taxi Transportation Division at Gyeonggi Province. "This year, we will continue strengthening region-specific operations to better guarantee mobility rights for provincial residents."