Busan to Integrate Call Taxi Services for Disabled and Pregnant Passengers

Pilot Launch of Integrated Operation System,
2,850 Taxis to Operate Under Unified Agreement

A call taxi service for transportation-vulnerable groups, including people with disabilities and pregnant women, will be integrated and operated in Busan.

The Busan Metropolitan Government (Mayor Park Hyungjoon) announced on the 17th that it will pilot the "Integrated Call Taxi Operation System for Transportation-Vulnerable Groups," which consolidates and reorganizes the operating systems and partnership structures of call taxis for people with disabilities and pregnant women, starting in April.

The call taxi for people with disabilities, introduced in 2012, is a voucher-based service for non-wheelchair users with severe mobility impairments, operated to supplement special transportation means. The call taxi for pregnant women, called Mama Call, was introduced in 2020 as a measure to overcome the low birthrate, making Busan the first among all metropolitan cities in Korea to launch a voucher-based taxi service for pregnant women. Currently, 750 Jabi Call taxis serve people with disabilities, and 2,100 Deungdae Call taxis serve pregnant women, operating separately under individual agreements.

Busan City will integrate and expand the current individual system structures into a single system to improve mobility convenience for transportation-vulnerable groups such as people with disabilities and pregnant women, and to enhance the efficiency and optimization of call taxi operations.

By the end of March, Busan plans to complete the integration and testing of the current individual systems to establish the Integrated Call Taxi Operation System for Transportation-Vulnerable Groups, and to sign an integrated operation agreement with the participating taxi organizations. As a result, the total number of contracted taxis will increase to 2,850.

For the call taxi service for people with disabilities, 2,100 Deungdae Call taxis will be added to the existing 750 Jabi Call taxis, and for the call taxi service for pregnant women, 750 Jabi Call taxis will be added to the existing 2,100 Deungdae Call taxis.

To prevent dispatch refusals and delays, the driver call service fee for pregnant women's call taxis will be set at 500 won per ride, the same as that for the call taxis for people with disabilities, to increase the dispatch success rate.

To minimize inconvenience to citizens, from March 19 to 20, prior to the implementation of the integrated operation, the city will hold a "Service Commitment Ceremony for Kindness and Consideration to the Transportation-Vulnerable" and conduct "Taxi Driver Kindness Training."

Busan City plans to analyze the operational trends of the call taxi service for transportation-vulnerable groups following the integration and will strive for efficient operation, including additional budget allocations if necessary.

In 2024, the voucher call taxi for people with disabilities operated an average of 2,900 times per day, while the voucher call taxi for pregnant women operated an average of 500 times per day. Compared to 2023, this represents a 16% increase for call taxis for people with disabilities and a 106% increase for call taxis for pregnant women.

The special transportation service Duribal and the call taxi service for transportation-vulnerable groups are currently operated by the Busan Facilities Corporation under commission, and to improve operational efficiency, an integrated call center is operated for Duribal, voucher call taxis for people with disabilities, and voucher call taxis for pregnant women (Mama Call).

Hwang Hyuncheol, Director of the Busan City Transportation Innovation Bureau, said, "We are developing and implementing various policies to provide better services and improve mobility convenience for transportation-vulnerable groups such as people with disabilities and pregnant women," adding, "Busan City will do its utmost to guarantee the right to mobility for transportation-vulnerable groups and to create an inclusive transportation environment where all citizens can travel safely and conveniently anytime, anywhere."