Concerns Rise Over Seouls Mom and Dad Taxi Service Amid Delays and Usage Issues
A parent in their 30s, residing in Gangseo District, recently experienced significant delays while trying to use the Mom and Dad Taxi service at Gangnam Station. After finishing a vaccination appointment for their child, the parent found themselves stranded for nearly two hours due to dispatch delays. They expressed frustration, stating, "I tried to call a taxi multiple times, but there were instances where no cars were dispatched at all. In the end, I waited for two hours in a cafe before finally being able to take a taxi home."
The Mom and Dad Taxi service, introduced as a measure to counteract the low birth rate, is facing increasing complaints about the burden of costs and delays in dispatching taxis, making it difficult for parents to utilize the service when they truly need it. Many parents report being stuck in a queue or unable to book a ride at all, leading to a perception that the service is not providing the expected utility.
Additionally, a disparity in usage has been highlighted, with some districts such as Seongbuk and Jungnang seeing a higher concentration of service usage, while other areas struggle to reach even half the usage rate compared to the number of registered infants.
According to data received from the Seoul Metropolitan Government by Han Byeong-do, a member of the National Assemblys Administrative Safety Committee, the budget for the Mom and Dad Taxi service this year is 2.3885 billion won. As of last month, 1.77925 billion won had been spent, yielding a spending rate of 74.5%.
The Mom and Dad Taxi program is designed to assist families with infants under 24 months in navigating transportation challenges. To alleviate the inconvenience of outings with young children, the service provides taxi points worth 100,000 won (1 point = 1 won) and can be accessed through a dedicated app. After a pilot program in 16 districts in 2023, the service is set to expand to all districts in 2024.
The program operates on a model where the service provider bills the district for the points used each month. However, any unused points by parents are fully expired every December. The actual expiration rates have increased, from 18.5% in 2023 to 27.9% in the previous year, indicating that more parents are unable to utilize the benefits before they expire.
User dissatisfaction continues to grow, as many struggle with the logistics and accessibility of the service, prompting calls for improvement to better serve the needs of families in Seoul.
The Mom and Dad Taxi service, introduced as a measure to counteract the low birth rate, is facing increasing complaints about the burden of costs and delays in dispatching taxis, making it difficult for parents to utilize the service when they truly need it. Many parents report being stuck in a queue or unable to book a ride at all, leading to a perception that the service is not providing the expected utility.
Additionally, a disparity in usage has been highlighted, with some districts such as Seongbuk and Jungnang seeing a higher concentration of service usage, while other areas struggle to reach even half the usage rate compared to the number of registered infants.
According to data received from the Seoul Metropolitan Government by Han Byeong-do, a member of the National Assemblys Administrative Safety Committee, the budget for the Mom and Dad Taxi service this year is 2.3885 billion won. As of last month, 1.77925 billion won had been spent, yielding a spending rate of 74.5%.
The Mom and Dad Taxi program is designed to assist families with infants under 24 months in navigating transportation challenges. To alleviate the inconvenience of outings with young children, the service provides taxi points worth 100,000 won (1 point = 1 won) and can be accessed through a dedicated app. After a pilot program in 16 districts in 2023, the service is set to expand to all districts in 2024.
The program operates on a model where the service provider bills the district for the points used each month. However, any unused points by parents are fully expired every December. The actual expiration rates have increased, from 18.5% in 2023 to 27.9% in the previous year, indicating that more parents are unable to utilize the benefits before they expire.
User dissatisfaction continues to grow, as many struggle with the logistics and accessibility of the service, prompting calls for improvement to better serve the needs of families in Seoul.
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