Incheon Severe Mobility-Impaired Individuals: Disabled Call Taxi Service Expanded to Seoul and Gyeonggi from the 21st

The use of disability call taxis for people with severe walking disabilities, which was previously limited to Incheon city and adjacent areas, will be expanded to the entire Seoul metropolitan area.

Incheon City announced that it has established and signed an agreement on the "Joint Operation Standards for Special Transportation Means in the Seoul Metropolitan Area" with Seoul City and Gyeonggi Province, and will begin pilot operations starting on the 21st.

Earlier, in July, the Enforcement Decree of the Act on the Promotion of Convenience for Transportation Vulnerable Persons was amended, expanding the operation range of special transportation means for people with severe walking disabilities to adjacent special and metropolitan cities and provinces. Since then, Incheon has held seven rounds of working-level consultations with Seoul and Gyeonggi to prepare this standard.

Accordingly, the existing operation of Incheon’s disability call taxis was limited to Incheon city and adjacent areas such as Seoul Gangseo-gu and Gyeonggi Bucheon, Siheung, and Gimpo, but from the 21st, it will be expanded to the entire Seoul and Gyeonggi areas.

Disabled Call Taxi
[Photo by Incheon City]

The eligible users are people with severe walking disabilities (those with severe walking impairments), who can use the service by making a reservation in advance from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. However, until an integrated operation system between local governments is established, the service will operate one-way only, so to use round-trip service, users must register and complete a prior application process at the transportation support center for vulnerable persons in their departure jurisdiction.

The usage fee will apply the current intercity fare (twice the city fare) by region (Incheon, Seoul, Gyeonggi) until the end of June next year, and from July 1, the three cities and provinces will apply the same metropolitan fare.

To secure vehicles necessary for metropolitan operations, Incheon City increased the number of disability call taxis by 22 this year, raising the total to 215. Some of these 22 vehicles are designated as metropolitan dedicated vehicles. The city plans to add 40 more vehicles next year to fully meet the legal standards for disability call taxis.

Additionally, to systematically support metropolitan mobility, the city will revise the ordinance early next year to clarify the basis for support, and plans to improve any inconveniences identified during the pilot operation through consultations with the Transportation Support Vehicle Operation Council for vulnerable persons and working-level discussions between local governments.