Ministry to allow 'call bus' service
Transportation authorities plan to introduce ‘call bus’ service to provide a more convenient mode of transportation for passengers. / Yonhap
By Kim Se-jeong
Transportation authorities plan to introduce “call buses,” a late-night chartered bus service, to provide a more convenient mode of transportation for passengers after public transportation hours.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said Monday it has concluded that there is a need for such a service which taxis and buses cannot offer.
However, the plan comes amid taxi drivers protesting the call bus service plan which they claim could drive them out of business.
The ministry said it will allow taxi and bus companies to join the service in a move to placate taxi drivers.
“We see a rising demand for the call bus service,” a ministry official said. “The key here is to create an environment where the bus and taxi companies can co-exist.” He added that the ministry will soon make a final decision on the issue.
She said the ministry is considering permitting any bus or taxi company to offer the service using vans having at least 11 seats, offered through smartphone applications that connect night passengers with the companies.
To assist taxi companies, the government is seeking to revise related transportation laws to allow taxi companies to start mini-bus services. Now, most taxis are sedan models with four seats for passengers.
An app named Callbus started service in December.
The Callbus service enables five chartered buses to pick up passengers who type in their location and destination. The buses carry up to 25 people to their destinations. The service is usually available in southern districts from 10 p.m. until 4 a.m. between Monday and Saturday.
The service draws an average of 50-60 passengers per night.
Yet, taxi companies are opposed, saying it would hurt their business. A group of taxi companies even ran front-page advertisements in newspapers demanding the government cancel the service.
But the government is in favor of the call service, saying it would be in line with the much-avowed “sharing economy” policy.
The ministry said it hopes more smartphone applications will turn up.
Park Byung-jong, head of Callbus LAB, said he is delighted to hear that the government is relaxing its regulations. “We are ready to work with taxi and bus companies,” he said.
But he has new worries.
“I hope the government will not surprise me with new regulations along the way. Also, I am hoping that big IT companies will not jump into the competition.”