The voucher taxi service introduced by Yeoncheon County, Gyeonggi Province to guarantee mobility rights for transportation-vulnerable individuals has achieved remarkable results, including addressing transportation blind spots.
On May 21, Yeoncheon County announced that it had increased the number of voucher taxis from the previous 9 to 15, following the full-scale implementation of the service in July of last year.
After the increase, the average number of daily operations rose by 44.7%, from 73 to 106. In addition, the average dispatch waiting time was reduced from 4.6 minutes to 1.7 minutes, and the boarding waiting time was shortened from 10 minutes to 9 minutes, thereby improving both the efficiency and convenience of use for transportation-vulnerable individuals.
The voucher taxi is a service in which taxi operators in Yeoncheon County conduct regular business but switch to operating as voucher taxis when a dispatch request is made by a transportation-vulnerable individual who does not use a wheelchair. The service area is primarily within Yeoncheon, but for hospital visits, it is limited to Gyeonggi Province, Seoul, Incheon, and Cheorwon.
To use the service, reservations must be made by phone through the Yeoncheon County Transportation Support Center for the Transportation Vulnerable. The basic fare is 1,500 won for distances within 10 kilometers, with an additional 500 won charged for every 5 kilometers beyond that.
Kim Deokhyeon, Governor of Yeoncheon County, stated, "The voucher taxi service plays an important role in Yeoncheon County's transportation welfare by guaranteeing mobility rights for the transportation-vulnerable," and added, "We will continue to do our best to resolve inconveniences for users and provide an even more convenient transportation environment."
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