Image credit: Hyunwoo Sun/FlickrGetting around in Seoul using a taxi is not cheap. But it can bring you anywhere you want anytime and saves you from the trouble of having to figure out how to use the city’s metropolitan subway or buses.
If you want to have smooth taxi rides in Seoul, void using the service during rush hours. Because it is when Seoul drivers have to deal with traffic jams that happen quite often.
There are four types of taxis in Seoul: regular taxi (orange, white or grey color), deluxe taxi (black color with ‘deluxe’ written on the door), jumbo taxi (7-seater black color) and international taxi (black or orange with ‘International’ written on the door).
Regular, deluxe, and international taxis can seat up to 4 passengers, while jumbo taxis can seat up to 9 passengers.
Deluxe taxis are newer, bigger, and also more expensive than regular taxis.
International taxis, which are designed for foreign visitors in Seoul, have drivers that speak fluent English, Chinese and Japanese. Their fares are higher than regular taxis.
Jumbo taxis are suitable for groups of 5 to 9 people, or passengers with lots of luggage. They are much more expensive than regular taxis.
All taxis in Seoul have a taximeter and most of them accept credit cards and transportation cards (T-Money) for payment. Look for a V-shaped orange card sign on the roof of the taxi to check if it accepts payments via cards.
Taxis can be easily hailed at any area of Seoul, or caught around major hotels and tourist attractions.
Taxi fares
– Regular taxi: 3,000 won ($2.64) per first 2 km, then 100 won ($0.09) per every 142 m
– International taxi: 3,600 won ($3.17) per first 2 km, then 120 won ($0.11) per every 142 m
– Deluxe and Jumbo taxi: 5,000 won ($4.4) per first 3 km, then 200 won ($0.18) per every 164 m
Taxi hours: 24 hours
Notes
– If you’re taking a regular taxi, there is an extra 20% surcharge of the base fare in the period between 00:00 and 03:59. The surcharge doesn’t apply to deluxe and jumbo taxis.
– Most taxis are equipped with GPS, which means you can easily reach your destination.
