Gyeonggi Province Expands 'Disabled Persons Call Taxi' Daily Usage to 6 Times

Gyeonggi Province will expand the daily usage frequency of special transportation service from the existing 4 times to 6 times. For wheelchair users facing urgent situations, the usage standards have been improved to allow one-time use without advance registration, followed by post-registration.

Gyeonggi Province announced on the 23rd that it will revise the 'Gyeonggi Province Special Transportation Service Wide-Area Mobility Standard Guidelines' incorporating these contents and implement them starting September 1st.

Special transportation service, commonly known as 'disabled persons call taxi,' is a vehicle equipped with wheelchair boarding facilities that supports mobility for transportation-disadvantaged groups.

The main revisions include first expanding the daily usage frequency of special transportation service from the existing 4 times to 6 times. This measure is designed to respond more flexibly to diverse usage demands including not only hospital visits but also daily life and social activities.

A new procedure has also been established for wheelchair users who need to use special transportation service in urgent situations. If disability can be verified, even without advance registration, users can use the special transportation service once and then register afterward. Reflecting improvement recommendations from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, this aims to reduce inconvenience caused by advance registration procedures preventing mobility in emergency situations.

New operational grounds have also been established to prioritize transportation-disadvantaged groups using wheelchairs. Currently, special transportation service targets severely mobility-impaired individuals and temporary wheelchair users, and dispatches including non-wheelchair users. This revision has established grounds to prioritize transportation-disadvantaged groups using wheelchairs in operations, with specific operational methods to be reviewed considering vehicle operation conditions by each city and county.

Dispatch guidance has also been strengthened. When a vehicle is dispatched, the driver will contact the user to notify them of the dispatch and provide the estimated arrival time at the boarding location. This is designed to reduce the inconvenience of users waiting without knowing whether a vehicle has arrived and to facilitate smooth boarding.

Lee Kwan-haeng, director of Gyeonggi Province's Wide-Area Transportation Policy Division, stated, "Special transportation service for transportation-disadvantaged groups transcends being a simple means of mobility, serving as an important transportation welfare service that enables daily life and social participation. We will continue to improve the system from the user's perspective so that wheelchair users and other transportation-disadvantaged groups can use special transportation service more conveniently and safely."