Taxi drivers face suspension for refusing passengers

A policeman is raiding on a taxi who refuses passengers in Jongno-gu, downdown Seoul. / Yonhap

By Lee Min-hyung

Taxi drivers caught refusing passengers on multiple occasions will be stripped of their license, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced Wednesday.

Starting today, those caught refusing passengers three times over the course of two years will have their license revoked and face 600,000 won ($550) in fines, the ministry said. Offenders must wait a year before reapplying for a license.

Citizens have long complained about drivers who refuse to travel short distances in search of routes that will fetch higher fares.

First-offenders will be fined 200,000 won. If caught for a second time within two years, they face a 400,000 won fine and a one-month suspension.

“We will proactively deal with these illegal activities based on a revised law, which takes effect on Jan. 29, and make all-out efforts to improve services,” said Yang Wan-soo, director of Seoul Metropolitan Government’s taxi and logistics division, said in a press release.

Taxi drivers’ refusal to take passengers has been Seoulites’ biggest gripe about services in recent years.

Out of 37,870 complaints about taxis in 2013, more than 14,000 were about being refused a ride, according to statistics.

Under the revised law, drivers who refuse to accept credit cards or have passengers share a ride along a single route, will also face a 200,000 won fine. They will be fined 400,000 won and face a 10-day suspension if they were caught for a second time within a year.