SEOUL, April 23 (Korea Bizwire) – The City of Bucheon in Gyeonggi province will begin a “Safe-return-home” taxi service from May by sharing taxi information with a passenger’s family members.
Using an NFC tag installed in every taxi in the city adjacent to western Seoul, passengers can tag their phone and have the service send information including the boarding time and location, plate number, the name of the taxi operator and a contact number to designated people including family members and close friends.
Passengers can use the service by installing the “Gyeonggi-do Safe Taxi Service” smartphone app and designating a recipient for the text messages. Officials have ordered the operators of every taxi registered in the city to install the NFC tags by the end of this month.
A city official said, “With the safe-return-home taxi service, women, students and the elderly and infirm can safely use taxis, and as the taxi’s information is recorded, lost items can easily be reclaimed.”
By Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)