By Do Je-hae
Staff Reporter

Taxis driven by women for female passengers will debut late next month. Small cars with engine capacities of less than 1000cc will be introduced as cabs.

The government approved pertinent revisions to introduce new types of taxis, according to the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs, Wednesday.

Fares for the smaller cabs are expected to be 20 to 30 percent less than those of larger taxis. "We are consulting with taxi operators in the Seoul metropolitan area on introducing smaller cars to their services," a ministry official said. Fares and the fleet of vehicles will be finalized shortly.

An introduction of women-only cabs is likely to assuage harassment concern of women passengers, since the number of taxi-related crimes ― especially against women ― has been on the rise. The cabs will be driven by women or be equipped with a stricter monitor of male drivers, it said.

Taxis solely for women have already been in operation in Dubai, Moscow and Mexico.

Mexico is the latest to launch women-only taxis. "Pink Taxis" in Puebla, east of Mexico City, were put into operation in October. In Dubai, taxis for women made their debut in January 2007 at the initiative of Dubai's Road and Traffic Authority, which trained 100 female drivers for 50 vehicles.

The revisions also include a nationwide introduction of foreigner-only taxis. Seoul currently has about 120 "international taxis" that provide services in Japanese and English, and operate on a 24 hour-reservation system. Such cabs are likely to become more accessible in other parts of the country.

The revisions are ultimately aimed at increasing the quality of Korea's taxi services, often criticized for overcharging, unfriendliness and refusing to travel short distances.

A recent survey by a state tourism agency showed that some 69 percent of foreign tourists were dissatisfied with their cab experiences here.

jhdo@koreatimes.co.kr