'No mask, no ride' policy goes smoothly amid heightened virus woes

SEOUL. KAZINFORM South Korea's 'no mask, no ride' policy on buses and taxis appeared to go smoothly on its first day of launch Tuesday as a continued outbreak in Seoul and the surrounding area prompted people to wear face masks.

Starting Tuesday, bus and taxi drivers are mandated to wear masks as part of the government's tightened quarantine measures against the new coronavirus. They are also allowed to refuse rides for passengers not wearing masks, Yonhap reports.

While there is no local law that provides the legal grounds to regulate passengers without masks, the government has temporarily eased a clause that bans drivers from refusing passengers.

Most passengers appeared to be following the new guideline in such major cities as Seoul, Busan and Gwangju on the first day of the policy.

In buses that run in central Seoul and nearby residential areas, all passengers were seen wearing masks -- although the types of masks varied from the government-supplied hygiene masks to colorful cotton masks.

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