"Going Home, Need Taxi Fare..." Taxi Driver's Son Reveals Face of 'Evasion Passenger'

A passenger who ran away without paying the taxi fare. Photo by Online Community

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Soyoung] A taxi driver's family has revealed the face of a 'fare-dodging passenger' who fled without paying the taxi fare.

On the 22nd, a post titled "A Beggar Who Fled Without Paying Taxi Fare" was uploaded on the online community BobaeDream. The author claimed that a passenger who got into the taxi of their father, a taxi driver, on the 21st, said "I will go home and bring the money" upon arriving at the destination but never returned.

They added, "There are occasionally such customers, and nine times out of ten, the fare is not received," implying that this was not the first time such an incident had occurred.

According to the post, the passenger stayed inside the taxi for about 4 more minutes after arriving at the destination, wandering around the apartment complex, and then disappeared after being persuaded to bring the taxi fare.

The author continued, "This time it wasn't a long distance, but it's not about the money; it ruined the mood of the family who heard about it, so I am posting the face," and released about 4 minutes and 30 seconds of black box footage of the incident.

In the released video, when the navigation voice says, "You have arrived at your destination," the passenger is heard saying, "Please go a little further and stop," "Is there a place to park for a moment?" "Turn right," "I need to go around one more lap. You came too far," among other remarks.

The passenger said, "Sorry, but could you stop the car here for a moment? My house is right in front, and I am going to bring cash. It will take just one minute," adding, "Really, just one minute. When the car comes, you can go around one more lap."

When the taxi driver appeared uncomfortable, the passenger persuaded, "Anyway, OO Taxi has my phone number, so it should be fine." When the taxi driver asked to leave belongings or the phone, the passenger refused, saying, "I have no belongings. I need my phone to call my family."

The passenger reassured the taxi driver, "I am not running away. I am this old. It's right in front. It's not that I don't want to pay. I understand your feelings, but I will bring it right away. You can trust me," and handed over a card saying, "I will leave a card and come back quickly," then got off.

The author lamented, "As we approached the destination, the passenger circled around the apartment complex to save less than 20,000 won in fare, shamelessly kept changing their story without even wetting their lips, lied, and then turned off or ignored calls," adding, "I reported the fare-dodging passenger to OO Taxi, so I hope other drivers won't suffer damage."

They also attached a screenshot of an article related to 'fare-dodging passengers,' asking, "Please don't ask why we just let that thief go."