By Jhoo Dong-chan



People often find it hard to catch taxis near Gangnam Station and around Hongdae in Seoul, particularly on weekend nights because cab drivers often reject passengers seeking to travel short distances.



To address this problem, the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) said that it will provide an incentive to taxi drivers who accept passengers near the city's busy Gangnam Station on Friday night, starting from the end of this month.



The city council passed a revised bill for the basic taxi ordinance two weeks ago, allowing for a budget to tackle the difficulties of catching taxis late at night in Seoul.



Under the ordinance, taxi drivers who accept passengers at Gangnam Station on Friday nights will be given 3,000 won ($2.6) per ride, when they take passengers from a "Taxi Happy Zone," a stand designated by the city government, between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m.



The pilot project will start at the end of this month and expand to include Hongdae and Jongno districts next year if there is positive feedback.



The expected budget for the Gangnam Station area is expected to be around 187 million won ($15.8 thousand) per year if the scheme continues.



However, citizens have raised eyebrows over the planned policy because the city government should strengthen the crackdown on taxis which refuse to accept passengers needing to travel short distances.



They said that such an ordinance will only produce selfish taxi drivers who only work in the Gangnam area to get incentives.



"It's just nonsense that the government has decided to reward those errant taxi drivers with taxpayers' money," said a 57-year-old Seoul citizen surnamed Yun.



"Rather, we need a stronger measure to crackdown on taxi drivers who reject passengers at night."



Under the ordinance for taxi transportation development, the first time a driver is caught rejecting passengers, they will face a fine of 200,000 won. If caught a second time, the driver's license will be suspended for 30 days with a 400,000 won fine to be paid. If caught for a third time, a 600,000 won fine is due.



