Taiwanese Media Harshly Critical of Bus Driver Who Took 10 Times More Bus Fare on “Dad Where Are We Going?”

With regards to an incident that occurred on the December 14 broadcast of “Dad Where Are We Going?” where Kim Sung Joo paid approximately ten times more than he needed to get on a public bus, Taiwanese media have been heavily critical of the bus driver who received the fare.

Quoting Taiwanese newspaper Dung Sseon (working title), Chinese newspaper Mangseo (working title) reported on December 17 that the bus driver has been criticized harshly by netizens for receiving 500 TWD from Kim Sung Joo instead of 47 TWD, the actual cost of fare.

According to the report, on December 11, Kim Sung Joo and his son Kim Min Yool rode a route 9 city bus in Taichung City, Taiwan. The driver took the 500 TWD that Kim Sung Joo paid for fare without giving him any change. Kim Sung Joo had asked the driver in English how much the bus fare was, to which the driver stuttered, “4…47 TWD.” Interpreting his answer as 447 TWD, Kim Sung Joo gave the driver 500 TWD.

Taiwanese sources stated that many netizens were upset because they believed that the bus driver’s actions would damage Taiwan’s reputation to prospective travelers. According to Taiwanese reports, the driver did not try to stop Kim Sung Joo from paying the 500 TWD, which made up 1/9 of his total traveling budget, and just smiled.

The media claimed that the driver was taking advantage of Kim Sung Joo who was not acquainted with prices in Taiwan. As to why Kim Sung Joo did not question the driver, reports reasoned that he probably was afraid that if he questioned the driver there would be a high probability that the driver would not let him know at which stop he and his son needed to disembark. No matter the situation, Taiwanese media insisted that the bus driver should have politely informed Kim Sung Joo of the correct fare.

Lin Ching Woo, spokesman for the local Office of Passenger Transportation stated, “The bus driver did not stop Kim Sung Joo, not only because he was very nervous, but also because he thought Kim Sung Joo was paying for other passengers boarding the bus. We sincerely apologize for the misunderstanding and are willing to refund the fare.”

MBC also recently responded to the incident, stating that since the show is a reality show, there was no involvement on the part of the writers.

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