Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon sees off a senior citizen boarding a Donghaeng Call Taxi in front of the Seodaemun Senior Welfare Center on July 6. [Yonhap]
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon sees off a senior citizen boarding a Donghaeng Call Taxi in front of the Seodaemun Senior Welfare Center on July 6. [Yonhap]

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has moved up the start time and simplified the connection process for its phone-based taxi service for seniors, which has drawn strong demand since its launch.

The city announced Tuesday that it is renaming the service — which lets elderly residents and others hail a taxi by phone without a smartphone app — from "Donghaeng Onda Call Taxi" to "120 Donghaeng Call Taxi," and rolling out a series of improvements. Callers can now reach the dedicated call center directly by dialing 120 and pressing 6, eliminating the need to ask an operator to transfer the call. The city said the changes reflect actual usage data and on-the-ground demand.

The 120 Donghaeng Call Taxi works by phone: callers tell an operator their departure point and destination, and a nearby taxi is dispatched. Dispatch details — including the vehicle's location and license plate number — are sent by text message or KakaoTalk notification. There is no additional booking fee.

Monthly usage jumped from 909 trips when the service launched in July last year to 10,968 trips in July this year. Cumulative completed rides have surpassed 63,000.

When the service launched, it was accessible only through the dedicated number 1855-0120. Since last month, callers can also reach the call center through Seoul's Dasan Call Center at 02-120.

After analyzing usage data, the city will push the service's start time back one hour — from 9 a.m. to 8 a.m. — beginning Sept. 1. The service will continue to run until 10 p.m.

An analysis of completed rides from January through July this year found that 17,000 trips, or 37.8 percent of total usage, took place between 8 a.m. and noon. Of rides taken between 9 and 10 a.m., 15 percent were for hospital visits.

The city also streamlined the connection process starting Thursday. Previously, callers had to ask a Dasan Call Center operator to transfer them to the taxi call center. Now, following a voice prompt, pressing 6 connects them directly.

The city introduced an automatic payment service last month, allowing registered users to have taxi fares charged automatically. It also plans to hire two additional call center operators to keep pace with rising demand, a move it says will increase call capacity during peak hours and cut wait times.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will also step up promotion of the service at locations seniors frequently visit, such as hospitals and welfare centers. Taxis will carry exterior advertisements explaining how to use the service, while hospitals and welfare centers will display promotional banners and videos. Pocket-sized flyers listing the phone number and usage instructions will also be distributed.

"We will continue to improve the service so that it becomes a practical, everyday transportation option that firmly supports seniors in their daily travel — whether for hospital visits, outings or other needs," said Yeo Jang-gwon, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's transportation bureau.


ken@heraldcorp.com