Cheongyang County in South Chungcheong Province has introduced a voucher taxi service — the first among county-level municipalities in the province — to eliminate mobility blind spots for transportation-disadvantaged residents who have difficulty using public transit.
The county announced Thursday that it has been operating the "transportation-disadvantaged voucher taxi" service since April 1, targeting people with disabilities who do not use wheelchairs, pregnant women, and seniors aged 65 and older.
The voucher taxi program was launched to address the limitations of the existing special transportation system, known as the disabled call taxi. The previous system operated on a reservation basis, making immediate dispatch difficult. The voucher taxi can be hailed on demand without a separate reservation, which is expected to dramatically reduce wait times for users.
Eligible users are Cheongyang County residents registered with the county's Transportation-Disadvantaged Mobility Support Center who do not use wheelchairs. The fare is 1,300 won for the first 2 kilometers, with an additional 130 won per kilometer thereafter, capping the user's out-of-pocket cost at 2,600 won. The county directly reimburses drivers for the remaining actual taxi fare, up to a maximum of 30,000 won per trip.
Notably, the program extends benefits beyond people with disabilities and pregnant women to include seniors aged 65 and older who can provide a doctor's note certifying difficulty using public transportation, even if they do not have a registered disability. The expansion is expected to significantly improve daily mobility for elderly residents who have struggled to secure transportation outside weekday business hours and on holidays.
Since the service began, wait times for people with severe physical disabilities have noticeably decreased, and more efficient vehicle dispatching has become possible. The service has been praised for raising the quality of public mobility services to a new level.
"The voucher taxi is not simply about adding a mode of transportation. It is the result of community-oriented governance that improves the quality of life and living conditions for our residents," Cheongyang County Governor Kim Don-gon said. "We will devote all our efforts to public outreach and communication so that more elderly residents and transportation-disadvantaged individuals can benefit, and we will work to firmly establish this system."
