Department of Transportation

At the moment, the discount for bus transfer (both direction) and 20% off for taking MRT with EasyCard are solely borne by Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation (TRTC). By considering the reasonability of the MRT fare structure and the principle of “user pays”, the Department of Transportation (DOT) will include them into the bus fare review; the decisions are estimated to be made and implemented in January 2017.
To encourage the public to take the mass transit system and be familiar with the use of electronic tickets, Taipei City Government has been implementing the MRT-bus transfer (both direction) discount and 20% off for taking MRT with an EasyCard. With the expansion of the public transportation network, the number of passengers has been rising. In 2014, the average number of passengers taking the Taipei metro reached 1.86 million per day. DOT states that the current MRT-bus transfer (both direction) discount benefits both the passengers and bus operators. Hence, to further promote the use of public transportation, such transfer discount will continue to be implemented in the future.
In consideration of the fact that currently the transfer discount is solely borne by TRTC, there will be discussions regarding a reasonable subsidy ratio between operators of the transportation industry and the government. In addition, as the transportation fare has not been adjusted for 16 years, the review on bus fare structure will also involve the relative pricing of MRT fare. At present, DOT (Public Transportation Office) is carrying out bus fare review, including the continuous support for 20% off for taking the MRT with an EasyCard. It will be submitted for approval by the City Council after its completion in April 2016 and is estimated to be implemented in January 2017.

2015-07-20