Ride requests reached 817 in April–May after service overhaul, nearly triple the previous daily average; automatic payment and family card registration to further ease use for elderly residents
Seoul's Eunpyeong-gu said its senior call-taxi service, "Baekse Call," has shown marked improvement in both ridership and user satisfaction since a service overhaul earlier this year.
Baekse Call allows residents aged 65 and older to hail a taxi by phone without downloading a separate app. The district signed an MOU with T-money Mobility Co. and the Eunpyeong branch of the Seoul Private Taxi Transport Business Association on March 30, then on April 1 switched to a new representative number — 1644-1144 — and revamped its call intake and dispatch system.
Ridership has climbed steadily since the changes took effect. In May, the service logged 536 ride requests, averaging 17.3 per day — roughly three times the three-year daily average of 5.8 recorded under the previous Hangang Call service. That figure also nearly doubled the 281 requests recorded in April.
The district attributed the surge to the new representative number, improved dispatch coordination through T-money Mobility, and on-site promotional campaigns at welfare centers and senior community halls.
User satisfaction surveys conducted among April–May riders also returned strong results. Of 191 respondents, 171 — or 89.5 percent — rated the service "very satisfied" or "satisfied." Fast dispatch and the convenience of phone-based booking were cited as the top reasons for satisfaction.
To make the service even easier to use, the district will introduce automatic payment for Baekse Call starting Wednesday. Fares will be charged automatically to a registered card, eliminating the need for on-site payment. Family card registration will also be supported, allowing adult children or other guardians to cover the fare on behalf of elderly users. Specific terms vary by card issuer and should be confirmed separately.
Going forward, the district plans to continuously analyze dispatch failures and strengthen service reliability through driver courtesy training and improvements to the dispatch system during peak hours.
"Baekse Call is a community-based transportation welfare service that lets seniors who struggle with digital devices travel conveniently with a single phone call," Eunpyeong-gu District Mayor Kim Mi-kyung said. "With the addition of automatic payment and family card registration, we will create an environment where elderly residents can use the service with even greater peace of mind."
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