Starting from Thursday, the late-night surcharge period for Seoul taxis will begin two hours earlier.

In the case of medium-sized taxis, late night surcharge will apply from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m., extending by two hours from midnight to 4 a.m..

The rate will also rise from the current 20 percent to a maximum of 40 percent, with the top rate set for between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m., at the peak of nighttime demand for cabs, raising the basic fare during those hours from four-thousand-600 won to five-thousand-300 won.

Meanwhile, the overall base fare for taxis will jump over 25 percent from next February, up from the current three-thousand-800 won to four-thousand-800 won.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government finalized the price adjustment in October after a series of meetings with citizens, the Seoul Metropolitan Council and the inflation countermeasures committee.