Eunpyeong-gu Operates 'Happy Taxi' for Pregnant Women and Families with Infants

Support for Medical Transportation Service via Dedicated Taxis for Pregnant Women and Families with Infants Under 12 Months... Call for Bids to Select One Taxi Operator for Project Implementation

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Eunpyeong-gu (Mayor Kim Mi-kyung) is recruiting taxi transportation companies to carry out the "Happy Taxi" project to create a child-friendly village.

Happy Taxi is a service that facilitates transportation through dedicated taxis when pregnant women and families with infants under 12 months in the area visit hospitals or clinics for medical purposes, in collaboration between Eunpyeong-gu, local taxi transportation companies, and T-money.

The district is promoting the Happy Taxi project to address the increasingly severe low birthrate issue and to protect pregnant women and infants from the risk of infectious diseases, which have recently emerged as serious social problems.

Families with pregnant women and infants need to visit hospitals or clinics regularly for various checkups and vaccinations, but transportation is not easy, making it difficult to use general public transportation.

To resolve these inconveniences, the service operates large vans (Carnival) to accommodate multiple children and strollers, installs car seats considering passenger characteristics, equips vehicles with air purifiers, and mandates daily disinfection of the vehicle interior, ensuring convenience and safety for users.

The district plans to select one stable and socially responsible taxi transportation company within the area to operate four "Happy Taxi" vehicles.

An announcement was made until the 15th of last month, and companies wishing to participate can download the application form from the Eunpyeong-gu Office website announcement board and submit it directly or by mail to the Family Policy Division of the district office by the 25th of this month.

If selected as a Happy Taxi operating company, the company will receive support for operating expenses including driver wages, and the project period will be from August this year to August next year.

Kim Mi-kyung, Mayor of Eunpyeong-gu, stated, "Considering that this year is the initial phase of the project, we plan to operate four vehicles, but if the monitoring results show high demand, we will actively work to expand the target children's age range and the number of vehicles to enhance residents' convenience."