"Pororo taxis" take on Seoul streets, joining "Tayo buses" and "Larva trains"

Public transportation in Seoul is getting a bit more "animated." Starting today, the popular cartoon character "Pororo" is decorating the insides and outsides of a number of taxis in Seoul. The idea follows hot on the heels of other animation-inspired public transportation. Connie Lee tells us more. "Pororo the Little Penguin," with his yellow helmet and orange goggles... is now coming to you... in taxis. Starting Tuesday, 20 of these so-called "Pororo taxis" are running on the streets of Seoul. From the outer decorations to inner accessories, Pororo and his friends have taken over these cars... much to the delight of Korean children. No wonder, Pororo is also deemed the "children′s president." "Pororo is so cool " Passengers can ride with this popular animation character for a test period until May of next year. "We came up with this idea when we were thinking about how to increase people′s use of taxis, even if it′s only by a little bit." The fares for these Pororo taxis are the same as other "regular" taxis in Seoul... and because there are only a handful available, reservations can be made online. Pororo is just the latest animated TV character to be featured on public transportation in the capital. "Tayo, the Little Bus" has been, literally, running the streets of Seoul since March,... and with its huge popularity, the one-month test term has been extended until the end of this year. And the "Larva" character is plastered all over a train on Seoul′s subway line two,... entertaining the eyes of passengers since the beginning of this month. Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon says the coming-of-life of these characters is a way to "decorate" the city- and of course, please the little ones. Connie Lee, Arirang News.