Department of Transportation

The Taipei City Government's Department of Transportation announced that starting from January 26, 2024, those using registered EasyCards for Megacity Pass can apply for card suspension on the EasyCard company's official website upon card loss. For those who report card loss for the first time in the year, the EasyCard company will refund the balance after deducting NTD$40 (NTD$1200/30 days) multiplied by the number of days passed, plus a refund handling fee of NTD$20. It is reminded that if an EasyCard has not been registered yet, one can apply for registration through the EasyCard company's official website or the "Easy Wallet" app.

The Department of Transportation explained that previously, refunds for lost cards were calculated at NTD$300 per day deducted, plus a refund handling fee of NTD$20, meaning that by the 4th day after activation, no refund balance remains. Considering that over 50% of citizens currently have already registered their cards, discussions were held among Taipei City, New Taipei City, Taoyuan City, and Keelung City to reduce losses for citizens. It was decided to provide a one-time prorated refund for card losses per person each year. Note that this function is only applicable to registered EasyCards. In case of card loss, citizens should immediately apply for suspension on the EasyCard company's website. After verification, the refund will be transferred to a designated account or a refund notification will be sent to a designated address.

The Department of Transportation pointed out that as of January 24th, 2024, approximately 3.48 million "Megacity Pass" have been sold and used over 280 million times. The main way it's used is the MRT, with about 130.86 million uses on the MRT (46.6%), followed by 108.2 million uses on city buses (35.9%), 15.25 million uses on Taiwan Railways (5.4%), 14.59 million uses on highway buses (5.2%), 11.47 million uses on YouBike (4.1%), 6.2 million uses on Taoyuan Metro (2.2%), and 1.68 million uses on light rail (0.6%).

The Department of Transportation has observed continuous increase in usage. The average daily passenger volume on Taipei Metro from July to December 2023 was 1.99 million, showing a 14% growth compared to the same period last year. Similarly, the average daily passenger volume on city buses in Taipei and New Taipei City from July to December 2023 was 1.87 million, showing an 11% growth compared to the same period last year. The average daily rentals of YouBike in Taipei City from July to December 2023 was 130,000, showing a 30% growth compared to the same period in 2022. The Department of Transportation encourages citizens to make more use of public transportation in the city to create a low-carbon green city.

2024-01-25