According to an inquiry conducted by the association on 4,773 Seoul taxi drivers about damages done by misbehaving passengers, 42.5 percent of overall damages were due to passengers soiling the inside of a cab, for instance, by vomiting.(image: Kobizmedia/Korea Bizwire)
SEOUL, Jan. 27 (Korea Bizwire) – Taxi passengers will be fined for vomiting in Seoul cabs starting in February. According to an announcement from the Seoul Taxi Association on January 26, the new Seoul taxi policy was officially accepted by the city government on January 15.
The Seoul Taxi Association originally called for an amendment to taxi transportation policy terms, stipulating that a passenger throwing up in the back of a cab should be fined 200,000 won (US$ 185). The Seoul government accepted the demand, but lowered the fine to 150,000 won (US$ 138).
The association also demanded an amendment that would impose fines equivalent to 30 times the minimum taxi fare for passengers refusing to pay or paying with stolen credit cards. The Seoul government once again accepted the proposal, but lowered the fine to what is equivalent to 5 times the minimum fare plus the charged fare at the time of the offense.
According to other amended terms, a passenger damaging a taxi must pay for the repair of damage caused. If a taxi driver drives a passenger who refuses to exit the cab to a nearby police station, the passenger must pay for the business loss resulting from the unnecessary trip.
According to an inquiry conducted by the association on 4,773 Seoul taxi drivers about damages done by misbehaving passengers, 42.5 percent of overall damages were due to passengers soiling the inside of a cab, for instance, by vomiting. Damages or losses caused by passengers refusing to pay or get off at their destination, and passengers paying with forged cash or credit cards were also significant.
Oh Kwang-Won, chairman of the Seoul Taxi Association, said that Seoul taxi drivers have been dealing with the difficulty of setting the right amount of compensation for troublesome passengers. He expected that the new terms would help them sort out such difficulties.
By Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
