A customer gets out of a Camp Hialeah taxi in 2003. Taxi rates for on-base cabs in Area I and Area II will increase by 20 percent beginning March 15, according to the Army and Air Force Exchange Service. (Courtesy Area IV public affairs)
YONGSAN GARRISON, South Korea — Taxi rates for on-base cabs will go up 20 percent in Area I and Area II starting March 15, according to the Army and Air Force Exchange Service.
The initial charge in AAFES cabs will go from $1.50 to $1.80. The “per unit” charge — a combination of distance and time — will increase from 25 cents to 30 cents, according to AAFES spokesman Air Force Master Sgt. Donovan Potter.
The increase is the first in seven years for AAFES cabs in Area I and Area II, according to the exchange service.
Worldcup Arirang Tourism Co., a South Korean firm that runs the taxi service under contract with AAFES, requested the increase, according to an AAFES news release.
The increases won’t affect cab service in Area III and Area IV, which contract with a different company, Potter said Monday. But increases could come soon in those areas, he added.
The increases are meant to keep up with the rising costs of driving cabs, Potter said.
“Fuel costs and the won rate also have been factors,” he said.
The won’s value against the U.S. dollar has been increasing in the past few months. A week ago, the U.S. Federal Reserve’s exchange rate put a 1,000-won note almost equal with $1. A year ago, it took 1,179 won to equal a dollar, according to the reserve.
In March 2004, gas prices at Yongsan were $1.62 per gallon for regular unleaded fuel. This month, the price was set at $1.95 per gallon.
Cab fares off base may be on the rise as well. Seoul city officials are considering raising taxi fares by 19.5 percent. That would increase the starting fare in “general” taxis, normally silver or white cabs, from 1,600 won to 2,000 won (about $1.98).
Last Friday during his call-in radio show, Command Sgt. Maj. Troy Welch said the contractor for the AAFES cabs was having a hard time keeping taxi drivers.
Welch discussed the cab services in a response to a complaint from one caller who said he was told he would have to wait for an hour before an AAFES cab could respond to a location at Yongsan Garrison for a pick-up.
Potter said his office was unaware of any specific complaints, either about slow service or the lack of drivers. He did say, however, that the fare increase was meant in part to help Worldcup retain drivers.
“A driver is going to drive where he or she can make money,” Potter said. “That’s part of the reason the fares needed to be increased. We are trying to keep them happy enough to stay.”
