"Are We Criminals?" Public Criticism of Taxi Driver Blocking Ambulance... Other Drivers 'Furious' [Reporter Han on the Scene]

Citizens Outraged Over Taxi Driver Blocking Ambulance
Some Criticize All Taxi Drivers
Some Drivers Express "Confusion and Frustration"

A taxi driver met in the Jung-gu area of Seoul on the afternoon of the 8th expressed that he has been receiving a lot of criticism from some passengers due to the recent incident involving a taxi driver blocking an ambulance. Photo by Han Seung-gon hsg@asiae.co.kr

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] "I think people are criticizing taxi drivers by only looking at a very small part of the story."

On the afternoon of the 8th, a taxi driver I met in the Jung-gu area of Seoul expressed frustration about the recent incident where a taxi driver blocked a private ambulance, saying, "Many people, including passengers, ask if taxi drivers are really like that."

On the 8th of last month, a private ambulance carrying an 80-year-old woman in the terminal stage of lung cancer was involved in a minor collision with a taxi. The taxi driver blocked the ambulance, demanding immediate compensation, leading to a standoff.

The family, citing the emergency situation, asked the taxi driver to move aside, but the driver responded with abusive language such as "If that patient dies, I'll take responsibility," "Handling the incident comes first, where do you think you're going," and "I can just call 119 and send the patient to the hospital," while blocking the ambulance.

Ultimately, the patient, who was about 15 minutes late arriving at the emergency room, died five hours after arriving at the hospital. The bereaved family, claiming that their mother could have survived if the taxi driver had not blocked the ambulance, filed a petition on the 3rd titled 'Please punish the taxi driver who blocked the ambulance with an emergency patient.' As of 11 a.m. that day, 642,864 people had agreed to the petition.

A black box video attached by the petitioner who posted on the Blue House National Petition Board on the 3rd. The petitioner claimed that the taxi driver insisted on handling the accident and blocked the ambulance, engaging in a verbal dispute for 10 minutes. / Photo by YouTube video capture

Along with criticism that the taxi driver should be charged with murder, and mentions of some taxi drivers' rudeness, social criticism against taxi drivers as a whole is rising. Taxi drivers feel unfairly treated by such criticism. They point out that it is inappropriate to criticize the entire group based on one incident.

The taxi driver I met on the 8th emphasized, "Taxi drivers are also very angry when they see the ambulance incident." He added, "Not all taxi drivers are like that, so I hope people think a little more positively." He continued, "There are many good drivers, but after that incident, there have been many comments like 'Why are taxi drivers like that? Aren't they murderers?' Honestly, it's a bit frustrating."

He acknowledged, "Some taxi drivers are rude, and I know passengers often feel uncomfortable because of that," but emphasized, "Still, nowadays, many drivers are trying hard to fix those issues." He added, "Drivers who have serious problems receive various warnings and cannot continue working properly."

Meanwhile, there is also an opinion that the situation arose due to the financial burden of the taxi drivers' daily quotas. A taxi driver in his 40s working at a taxi company in Seoul said, "Money that must be paid to the company, such as insurance processing fees, inevitably comes out, and taxi drivers lose their daily wages," adding, "In that sense, I think the driver blocked the ambulance in an emergency patient transport situation. Nevertheless, the driver's behavior was very wrong."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Despite the unavoidable circumstances of taxi drivers, public perception of them is not favorable. A man in his 30s, office worker A, complained that he is frequently subjected to rude language and sexual harassment by taxi drivers whenever he takes a taxi. He said, "It's common to hear rude speech, curses, and questions about age and occupation from taxi drivers," and lamented, "They also make sexually harassing remarks."

There are also cases where sexual harassment escalates to assault. In May last year, a taxi driver driving on a road in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, was prosecuted and sentenced to prison for twisting the arm and hitting the face of a female passenger who protested the fare.

It was revealed that the driver had been punished seven times since 2011 for assault and battery, including fines. He also had a prior conviction of six months imprisonment with one year probation for assaulting a passenger while driving a taxi. Despite this, he continued to drive a taxi.

Meanwhile, according to the 'Seoul Taxi Complaint Status by Category' released by Seoul City in 2017, a total of 9,115 taxi-related complaints were received from January to June. By type, 'rudeness' accounted for 3,512 cases, the highest, followed by 'refusal to pick up passengers' with 2,444 cases, 'unfair fares' with 1,787 cases, 'mid-trip drop-off' with 540 cases, and 'operating outside business area' with 196 cases. This explains why taxi drivers are often criticized for being rude.

Amid rising criticism following the incident of the taxi driver blocking the ambulance, one taxi driver stated that he is making efforts to provide courteous service.

A 50-something taxi driver with over 10 years of experience, whom I met that day, said, "(Taxi driving) is, in a way, a service industry. Although there are many wrongdoings by some drivers, I hope people understand that many drivers try to safely transport passengers and treat them kindly."