TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Ko Wen-je, former Taipei Mayor and current chairman of the Taiwan People's Party (TPP), voiced his opinion once again on Tuesday (Feb. 27) regarding the new policy of offering free YouBike usage for the first 30 minutes, emphasizing that every policy should have its discourse.
The Department of Transportation, Taipei City Government had announced a day earlier on Feb. 26 that the YouBike policy for the first 30-minute free ride will take effect from Feb. 28.
In response, Ko said that during his tenure, YouBike's service was completely free. It was later when he noticed that many users were not using the bikes for commuting purposes, but rather decided spontaneously to ride the bikes for fun, that he made a policy change to charge NT＄5.
Ko further explained that the original intent of the YouBike design was to be utilized for daily transportation, not for relaxation or pleasure. Therefore, he modified the policy and introduced a fee, reiterating that every policy needs its own policy discourse.
When asked about the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) verbal attacks on TPP for being a "parasite" in the parliament, Ko opined that these were aggressive words and should not be given due consideration.