Many citizens in Seoul have felt uneasy while riding in a taxi with an elderly driver. Passengers who have had this experience often find themselves shunning older cabbies, as many have difficulty following the traffic flow smoothly.
Their concern is unlikely to be eased soon with the number of senior drivers rising steadily.
According to figures from the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the proportion of independent licensed taxi drivers who were over 65 has more than tripled since 2005, from 8.75 percent to 29.25 percent this year. In contrast, the ratio of 30-something cabbies dropped from 4.2 percent to 0.7 percent over the cited period.
As there is no age limit for driving a taxi, taxi drivers are allowed to work as long as they want. The number of cabbies aged 75 or older has exceeded 1,000. Of them, 79 are in their 80s. The number of aged drivers is expected to continue to grow as young people shun the job, which they see as arduous, boring and low-paid.
In 2012, the Transportation Ministry pushed for a measure to limit the age of licensed taxi drivers to 70. But this move faced strong resistance from drivers, who argued their retirement age should not be legally mandated. For a more practical approach, officials may need to consider Japan’s regulatory scheme, which prevents people over the age of 65 from buying a taxi license and individuals older than 75 from selling one.
Though it may be difficult to introduce an age limit anytime soon, physical checkups and aptitude tests for aged drivers should be strengthened and conducted more frequently.
It may be necessary to implement a precise aptitude examination tailored for older drivers, as has been done in the U.S. and other advanced nations. It is undesirable that efforts to amend a related law have stalled due to objections from licensed taxi drivers.
Elderly taxi drivers whose physical and cognitive functions have weakened need to be more open to receiving more thorough and frequent tests to prevent accidents and ease passengers’ anxiety.
