Hailing a Taxi

Taxis in Incheon are plentiful and cheap. You can flag one down at any time of the day or night - just go somewhere visible at the side of the street, and hold out your hand.

Available taxis have their 빈차 (available) sign on.

If you know exactly where and which direction you're going, it is a good idea to go to the correct side of the street - to avoid waiting and paying for the taxi to turn around.

You can also use the KakaoTaxi app (Korean-language only) to hail a taxi.

Giving Directions

It is easier to tell the taxi driver to go to a nearby landmark (부평역 / Bupyeong Station), instead of to an exact street address (123 Bupyeong-ro). You will need to speak your destination in Korean, most of the time. If your pronunciation is terrible, try writing it on paper or typing it out (in Korean) on your phone. A few taxi drivers will understand English directions, but you cannot rely on this.

Paying

You can pay by cash or by Korean card. Some (but not all) taxis accept T-money cards.

At the toll gate, the occasional  taxi driver will turn around and ask you for cash or your card, to pay the toll. Most of the time, taxi drivers will pay with their own cash, and then add it to your total, at the end of the ride. You can pay for the total (ride+toll) by cash or card.

Rounding Up

Sometimes, when paying by card, a taxi driver will ask to round up your fare. For example, the taxi driver might ask if he can charge 24,000 won instead of 23,600 won.  This is technically illegal, because it's not the price you were supposed to pay. However, it does help offset the fee charged by the credit card processing company.