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| Empty taxis are parked in rows at a taxi company's lot located in Seoul. Newsis |
Low profits, excessive hours drove them into delivery, courier services
By Lee Yeon-woo
Seven out of 10 taxi drivers are in their 60s and 70s, according to data released by the Korea National Joint Conference of Private Taxi Association. Korea is indeed a rapidly aging society, but this time, there is a special factor behind the numbers: an exodus of young drivers.
When the pandemic broke out, young drivers left the job to seek work in delivery and courier services instead of in taxi driving. Predominantly elderly drivers, who are more hesitant to drive at night, have remained in the profession, intensifying the shortage of late-night taxis.
"The demand for taxis surged after the social distancing measures were lifted. But, taxi drivers have left the industry for delivery and courier services to make more money. Private taxi drivers avoid late-night driving," the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said, Oct. 4.
Ji Min-soo, a 12-year veteran taxi driver based in Seoul, said he can relate to young taxi drivers leaving the industry.
"The number of customers noticeably decreased during the (earlier phases of the) pandemic. We barely earned money at that time. … But when it comes to deliveries, you could get results immediately ― unlike with taxis. You can earn as much money as you wanted," Ji, 51, told The Korea Times.
For drivers in their 30s and 40s, the level of income earned by taxi driving is not enough to support their families and educate their children. Drivers earn an average of 130,000 to 150,000 won a day, according to an official working for a taxi company based in Seoul.
Rep. Ku Ja-keun from the People Power Party also revealed data on Tuesday that taxi drivers earned one-third of those who worked for delivery and courier services in 2020.
"The case is very different for drivers in their 60s and 70s. There is no such workplace where the elderly can regularly earn more than 1 million won a month (other than by driving a taxi)," Ji added.
Lee Jeong-wook, 37, a taxi driver based in Seoul, said he has also considered leaving the job when he comes home virtually empty handed despite his hard work.
"I worked 14 hours yesterday, and I earned only 200,000 won. I hung around in an empty taxi for 3 hours. A driver's profits normally account for 55 percent of their earnings. Considering that, I earned 7,800 won per hour yesterday, which is even below the minimum wage," Lee said.
However, excessive working hours and low earnings are not the only reasons taxi drivers have left the profession.
"A lot of customers are violent. Taxi drivers are more looked down on than you think. I had a customer who rudely asked me if I had graduated college, and why a young man like me drives a taxi to make a living," Lee added.
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| Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong talks about the ministry's measures to resolve the late-night taxi shortage during a briefing held at the Government Complex Seoul, Oct. 4. Newsis |
In an attempt to incentivize drivers to return and boost late-night taxi availability, the government released a set of measures on Oct. 4, namely hiking late-night cab call fares from the current 3,000 won ($2.10) to 5,000 won ($3.50) for taxis from franchised platform operators such as Kakao, and 4,000 won ($2.80) for general cabs called through a broker agency. The Seoul Metropolitan Government also announced an increase in its basic taxi fare from 3,800 won ($2.66) to 4,800 won ($3.36) and a lengthening of the current window for late-night fares by two more hours, from 10 p.m. ― instead of 12 a.m. ― to 4 a.m.
But taxi drivers remained skeptical whether the measures will bring back those who have already left the profession.
"Raising call fares does not affect drivers like us. It all goes to platforms such as Kakao. Those platforms will not let us take call fares even though the government says now that they will let drivers take some call fares. Measures other than raising basic fares won't help to bring drivers back. They line the pockets of platforms and corporate taxi companies, not of drivers," taxi driver Kang, 41, said.
