TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taipei City Public Transportation Office (台北市公共運輸處) announced on Monday (Jan. 13) that it has reached a consensus with operators on fare adjustments, aiming to complete a full equipment upgrade by next year. The current bus system in Taipei and New Taipei City has been criticized lately as it only accepts cash and electronic payments, prompting calls for enhanced connectivity to promote green transportation.
Taipei's urban buses transport approximately 400 million passengers annually, primarily using electronic payments like EasyCard (悠遊卡), Icash (愛金卡), and iPASS (一卡通). Due to offline ticket validators, about 26,000 people weekly must recharge their cards at convenience stores. Easycard Corporation (悠遊卡公司) reported that from January to August 2024, around 150,000 people used co-branded EasyCards on buses daily, with 4,000 transactions showing negative balances.
A Taipei resident surnamed Chen expressed their frustration stating that though Taipei's public transportation is convenient, the lack of an automatic top-up system requires a weekly 15-minute walk to a convenience store, causing inconvenience. Councilor Sabrina Lim (林亮君) noted that the city's 2030 goal of 70% green transportation is hindered by payment methods. She suggested exploring validator connectivity to improve convenience.
Liu Kuo-chu (劉國著), the head of the comprehensive planning division, stated that automatic top-ups for electronic payments are feasible but require discussions among the city government, operators, and third-party platforms. Liu revealed plans to replace or upgrade bus validators with QR code scanning capabilities, expecting mobile payment options next year. The estimated NT$30 million cost for the upgrade includes discussions on enabling automatic top-ups for co-branded credit cards, aiming for simultaneous implementation with validator updates.