Department of Transportation

Starting from February 28, Taipei City has implemented a policy where the first 30 minutes of YouBike rides are free as part of efforts to make Taipei a "safe, sporty, and future-oriented" city, and to achieve 40% carbon emissions reduction and 70% green transportation usage by 2030. The city government expresses gratitude to the council for supporting the budget, which will also enable the YouBike expansion program. By 2026, the number of stations will increase from the current 1,338 to 2,000, and the number of bikes will increase from 16,562 to 27,500, providing better access for users and expanding the YouBike community.

According to the Department of Transportation, Taipei City has the largest scale, density, and rental frequency of YouBike services nationwide. The majority of users use it for short-distance commuting, with about 90% of trips being within 30 minutes. Single-rental instances (excluding transfer and regular ticket discounts) account for about 52% of total rentals, while transfer discount rentals account for about 23%, and regular ticket rentals account for about 25%. To encourage more citizens to use carbon-free YouBike for commuting to work/school and shopping, the city will continue to expand the service and provide a greater incentive by implementing the 30-minute free policy. It is estimated that this measure will increase rental frequency by 15%, benefiting approximately 27 million people annually and reducing carbon emissions by 7,000 tons, equivalent to the carbon absorption capacity of 18 Daan Forest Parks.

Regarding concerns about the availability of bikes, the Department of Transportation assures the public that with optimization via big data and the addition of 1,780 and 1,500 bikes in May and December 2023 respectively, the citywide bike availability rate has increased from 80% in May 2022 to 90%. Furthermore, an additional 2,000 bikes will be added in February 2024, with plans to add a total of 6,000 bikes by the end of the year, while continuously monitoring and improving bike availability and parking space issues to maintain service quality.

To prevent users from occupying bikes for extended periods, thereby affecting others' access, the time before bikes can be borrowed again from the same station after returning them will be extended from 5 to 10 minutes. Additionally, considering that the first 30 minutes of YouBike rides are free, there will no longer be transfer discounts for bus or MRT transfers. After exceeding 30 minutes, the original fare will be applied: NTD$10 for every 30 minutes within 4 hours, NTD$20 for every 30 minutes between 4 to 8 hours, and NTD$40 for every 30 minutes thereafter. Citizens are encouraged to use YouBike actively to reduce car usage, thereby contributing to carbon reduction and promoting physical health through cycling, together creating a "safe, sporty, and future-oriented" Taipei City.

2024-02-27