Department of Transportation

Taipei City Department of Transportation, with the aim of providing Taiwan’s most comprehensive traffic information software, is the first local government agency to develop the smart phone app named Fun Travel in Taipei.The app in corporates all of the traffic information required by residents in Taipei City, including contents related to buses, roads, parking, MRT, YouBike, taxis, Blue Highway, intercity transport, etc. The comprehensive information provided makes the traffic app a leader among major cities in the world.The public can make use of Fun Travel in Taipei to quickly search for the required traffic information to make travel plans and reduce waiting time, as well as experience Taipei City’s advanced smart transport system.
Up until December 2012, downloads of Fun Travel in Taipei have already reached 340,000, the top downloaded Taipei City Government app; the average number of searches per month in 2012 was 7.36 million people and the number of searches for one month has already exceeded 14 million, which shows that Fun Travel in Taipei has already become an important channel for the public to obtain transport information.Fun Travel in Taipei currently supports iOS, Android and Windows Phone. In 2012 , new functions were also released, includingChinese-English Switch, Online Feedback, Important Traffic Control Announcement, etc.
With the Chinese-English Switch function, the app is able to serve foreign tourists; as the number of foreign visitors has been hitting record highs, the English version of Fun Travel in Taipei allows tourists who do not understand Chinese to search for relevant transport information without the need to bring along maps, bus guides, MRT guides, TRA and THSR train timetables, etc.,which not only reduces luggage weight, but also provides access to first hand transport information.After the first download or upgrade, users will be prompted with a language selection page upon launching the app. If users wish to switch language later on, theymay do so via the application (method: home/information description/English ).
As the app store only providedusers with one way feedback, system developers wereunable to respond directly to the users regarding the results after processing. For example, a resident had to first take a photo, note the location, upload to computer and then fill in the details in the complaints system, in order to a report a traffic condition (such as traffic signal failure). Usually,time was wasted in processing the cases as they were not fully described.In contrast, the new Online Feedback function has a user-friendly interface with features such as sample form, photo upload and location return, allowing the public to conveniently report the traffic condition right on the spot or feedback to the system. The public may also leave their contact information to receive results of the case after processing, achieving a two-way communication objective.
As for the Important Traffic Control Announcement function, traffic control area and bus reroute information are presented to the public in the form of scrolling text and special area. For example, peoplewho like to join the New Year Party but are unable to obtain real-time information on traffic control areas, bus reroutes, shuttle buses after the party, parking lot access control, etc, may now do so via thescrolling textfeature in Fun Travel in Taipei, and click on links to connect to the Department of Transportation’s website for detailed information.
Fun Travel in Taipei will continue to improve its basic data maintenance, system performance and stability, as well as user interface in order to provide the public with a comprehensive handheld traffic information application where traffic information is regarded as a daily necessity, in order tofurther increase the ways of tapping traffic information and improve overall transport efficiency.

2013-01-25