Seoul's senior-friendly call taxi tops 44,000 rides in first year, adds phone booking via city hotline

A call taxi service designed for elderly residents has surpassed 44,000 cumulative rides in its first year of operation. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said it will introduce a booking option through the Dasan Call Center at 02-120 to make the service more accessible, and plans to expand a network of neighborhood senior activity hubs to 120 locations citywide by 2030.

Mayor Oh Se-hoon visited the Seoul Metropolitan Seodaemun Senior Welfare Center in Seodaemun-gu on Monday morning, where he observed a demonstration of the Donghaeng Onda call taxi service — which allows users to summon a cab by phone — and reviewed the transportation environment for elderly residents.

Oh had previously called for tailored services to ease the difficulties seniors face when trying to hail taxis on the street. A survey by the Seoul Institute last year found that more than 60 percent of people in their 20s to 40s use smartphone apps to book taxis, while 80 percent of those aged 60 and older rely primarily on flagging down cabs on the street.

Responding to those findings, the city developed a service for residents — particularly older ones — who are unfamiliar with smartphone apps, allowing them to call a dispatch center and have a taxi sent directly to their chosen location.

Launched July 7 last year, the Donghaeng Onda call taxi has grown into a reliable mobility option for seniors. Cumulative rides crossed 44,000 within a year of launch, with usage continuing to climb.

The booking process will soon become even simpler. The city plans to connect callers directly to the Donghaeng Onda service through the Dasan Call Center's main number, 02-120. Riders simply state their desired pickup location over the phone; once a vehicle is assigned, the passenger receives the driver's details — vehicle location, license plate number and contact information — via KakaoTalk notification or text message.

The city said it will continue monitoring usage data and user feedback after the service upgrade. It also plans to post information about how to use the Donghaeng Onda call taxi at senior welfare centers, hospitals and other venues frequently visited by older residents.

Seoul also plans to extend the service's operating hours — currently 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. — to around the clock starting next year.

In addition, the Seoul Metropolitan Government is pursuing a broader set of policies for seniors under the 9th elected term, including a "Senior Vitality Recharge Project" and a "Senior Relationship Recovery Program" aimed at enriching daily life for older residents.

The Senior Vitality Recharge Project was designed to support a growing generation of socially active older adults, offering programs in sports, culture, self-development and community engagement. The city plans to expand its network of walkable neighborhood senior activity hubs to 120 locations by 2030, while building two new large-scale senior leisure complexes by 2030 and scaling that total to eight facilities by 2035.

The city will also develop a Senior Relationship Recovery Program to combat social isolation among the elderly. Work on the program is set to begin this year, with the goal of strengthening social connections to reduce depression and anxiety and improve mental health among seniors. The program will eventually be introduced as a standard offering at welfare centers.

"Making Seoul a city where every senior can enjoy daily life and stay active is a key goal of the 9th elected term," Oh said. "We will find answers on the ground, closest to residents' lives, and continue refining policies that touch daily living — covering mobility, health, leisure and social connection."