'Gift from God, a 9-cent (100 won) taxi ride in rural Korea'


The New York Times (NYT) introduced the '100 won taxi' in Seocheon-gun, Chungcheongnam-do, and praised it, expressing that "a 100-won taxi revolutionized public transportation in rural areas in Korea."



On the 11th local time, NYT reported an article titled 'Gift from God, a 9-cent (100 won) taxi ride in Korea's rural areas'.



In this article, taking the case of Seondong Village in Seocheon-gun, which is about 20 minutes by car from the town, “100 won taxis are designed for the elderly who live in remote countryside and feel uncomfortable using transportation,” and introduced the background of the birth.


Birth of '100 Won Taxi'

So, how did the 100-won taxi, which was praised as a “gift from God,” was born?



In Seondong Village, some unprofitable bus routes began to disappear due to population decline from 2013, but bus drivers went on strike and, at least three buses a day stopped operating.



Elderly people without a car are effectively isolated in the village.

(For reference, the population of Seocheon-gun decreased from 160,000 in the 1960s to 51,000 this year, and 38% of the population of Seocheon is 65 or older).



Seocheon-gun decided that the '100 won taxi' system would cost much less than the subsidy for buses, so in May 2013, the 100 won taxi (hope taxi) operation related ordinance was made and the operation started in June of the same year.



If the passenger who calls a taxi pays 100 won, the military pays the rest of the fare, and anyone in a village 700m or more from the bus stop can call a 100 won taxi.



The fare increases slightly depending on the distance, and even if the fare was about 10,000 to 25,000 won in the past, passengers are only charged up to 1,500 won.



"There is no such filial piety, it is a gift from God"

Even for the elderly with low income and local taxi drivers, a 100 won taxi is truly a filial taxi.



Na Jeong-soon (85), an 85-year-old woman who lives in Seondong Village, couldn't hide her joy when she talked about the convenience of a 100-won taxi ride in an interview with the New York Times.


"I can't even imagine what it was like to have to drag a shopping cart from the bus stop to the house in the old days. I hurt my leg and it's uncomfortable, but all the young people in the village run out to the city and there is no one to help an old man like me. But now a taxi rides to the front of the house. It is a gift from God."


In addition, taxi driver Ki-yeop Lee (65) said, "I drive two or three times a week, so I probably know more about these elderly people than anyone. It is," he said, conveying the net function of a 100-won taxi.



The New York Times said that the idea was so successful that it spread to other regions and revolutionized South Korean rural public transportation.



This is a 'news pick'.



(Photo = NYT capture)



Go to NYT's original text

▶ 'A gift from God, a 9 cent (100 won) taxi ride in a Korean rural area'