Department of TransportationCity Bus

Low-Floor Bus

Fri, 29 Sep 2017 16:00:00 GMT

Low-Floor Bus

With the aging of society, and in order to meet the transportation needs of the disabled, the Department of Transportation, Taipei City Government has been vigorously promoting a low-floor bus policy. Between 2007 and 2009, a total of 357 low-floor buses were put into service on 15 major routes, outstripping the original target of introducing 300 such buses.
Low-floor buses are designed for passenger convenience, with interior floors less than 35 centimeters from the ground. These buses also have entry ramps and can incline to one side for easier, safer and more efficient boarding and exit.
The bus cabins are stair-free and have one to two barrier-free wheelchair spots with safety belts and other design touches to provide a friendlier and more comfortable riding space for wheelchair users. The buses also meet strict environmental protection standards, reducing exhaust, saving energy and cutting carbon emissions.
In line with the promotion of a barrier-free transportation environment, the Taipei City Public Transportation Office also asks bus operators to strengthen driver training in the areas of stopping close to curbs and helping disabled passengers to board and exit the bus as well as to upgrade the overall level of bus services.
In May 2024, there were 2,955 low-floor buses in Taipei City, accounting for 88% of the total number of buses. In addition to the steep gradients and narrow widths of mountain roads, as well as the unsuitability of low-floor buses for highways, our city has now fully implemented low-floor buses on routes suitable for such vehicles. In future we'll continue to maintain nearly 90% service capacity.

Taipei City bus fares based on sections

Thu, 27 Jun 2013 16:00:00 GMT

1.	Taipei Joint Bus System charges bus riders based on sections in accordance with provisions in Article 11 of the Autonomous Statutes for Taipei City Bus Operation Management . Sections are roughly determined based on the middle section of the bus route. An average operating mileage of about 8.5km is taken as a route section. In addition, natural boundaries, such as bridges and rivers, and major transfer points (such as Taipei Main Station, Zhongxing Bridge, Ziqiang Tunnel and MRT Gongguan Station) also are taken into account when determining the sectional dividing points for bus routes. Crossing the dividing point is subject to additional fare for another route section.
2.	Currently, 1-section fare, 2-section fare and 3-section fare are charged for Taipei Joint Bus. Information on bus route sections can be found by visiting the Taipei Bus Information and Transit System website at https://ebus.gov.taipei/ and selecting the bus route of your choice, or you may check the route map at bus stops.
3.	Passengers who board on buses in Taipei City and New Taipei City must swipe their cards both when getting on and getting off public buses since July 1, 2019. The 1-section fare would be deducted from the rider's card when they swipe the first time upon boarding. When passengers disembarks and swipes for the second time, they will either be charged nothing or additional fare would be deducted, depending on the destination. It would be calculated by the machine automatically.

How to Take a City Bus

Thu, 27 Jun 2013 16:00:00 GMT

Step 1: Check the bus route map and your fare zones.

Step 2: Wait for the bus to arrive.

Step 3:From July 1, 2019, the procedure to pay the fare when taking city bus of Greater Taipei changed. Passengers need to tap their e-tickets on the validator both when getting on and off the city bus. The fare remains the same. Passengers no longer have to worry about when to tap their e-ticket, and avoid extra charges.

Step 4: Use EasyCard to make payment or pay in cash.

Taipei Bus Information and Transit System

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 16:00:00 GMT

Brief Introduction of Buses

Thu, 30 May 2013 16:00:00 GMT

History of Taipei City Bus

In the beginning, Taipei City Bus system was operated by Taipei City Government. From 1969, Taipei City Government opened more opportunities to privately-owned companies for operating buses, including: Shin-shin Bus, Air Bus, Da-nan Bus, and Kuang-hua Bus. They were jointly managed by Department of Transportation, Taipei City Government.

However, tickets issued by each company became overly complicated and unsuitable for common use. The obsolete ticketing system had made bus traveling under different companies extremely cumbersome.

Up until 1976, only a few private companies and the Metropolitan Bus Company were managed by Taipei City Government.

Nevertheless, the fare system of one-section route was different among different bus services. The bus routes were badly organized: they either overlapped or were inadequate to meet passenger demand.

In order to promote traveling efficiency, the Taipei Joint Bus System Preparation Committee was established in 1976. The organization was founded to manage all affairs related to the Taipei City Bus System, and to integrate bus routes with bus numbers, bus ticketing, and fares.

On April 30, 1977, the Taipei City Bus System was joint-operated initially. At that time, apart from those aforementioned, there were five private bus companies:, Chung-shing Bus, Zhinan Bus, Taipei Bus, San-chung Bus, and Capital Bus (San-chung City Bus was the original name).

From 1980s to 1990s, many bus routes governed by Directorate General Highways, M.O.T.C. were re-numbered or organized into a joint operation by the Taipei Bus System. Apart from cooperating with affiliated bus companies in Taipei City, the Taipei Bus System expanded its service to Taipei County. Department of Transportation, Taipei City Government primarily supervises joint bus services, and was not designated to oversee transportation demands, bus route designations, or bus stop installments in Taipei County. This has made management rather ineffective. In light of such, as soon as the Transportation Bureau of Taipei County was established, joint buses that operate mostly in Taipei County were assigned to the Transportation Bureau instead. (Bus routes of Taipei County Government).

Current Status of Taipei Bus System
There are fourteen bus transportation agencies, most of them run by one company, with a few jointly operated.

**Current Companies of Taipei Bus System**
Company Name 1	Company Name 2
Metropolitan Bus	Southeast Bus Transportation Co., Ltd.
Shin-shin Bus Transportation Co., Ltd.	Air Bus Transportation Co., Ltd.
Da-nan Bus Transportation Co., Ltd.	Kuang-hua Bus Transportation Co., Ltd.
Chung-shing Bus Transportation Co., Ltd.	Zhinan Bus Transportation Co., Ltd.
Taipei Bus Transportation Co., Ltd.	San-chung Bus Transportation Co., Ltd.
Capital Bus Transportation Co., Ltd.	Xindian Bus Transportation Co., Ltd.
New Taipei Bus Company, Ltd.	Tanshui Bus Transportation Co., Ltd.

Each bus operating agency participating in the joint alliance formed a committee overseeing a joint-venture management center. Operationally, the stops and waiting areas are shared among the individual operators. While ticketing and fare structures are universal within the alliance, each operator remains sovereign with its own structure, assets, revenue vehicles, and legal liabilities. Financially, all the revenue generated are collected to the management then distributed to operating agencies to meet their individual expenditure needs.

E-Bus – a Brief History

Thu, 30 May 2013 16:00:00 GMT

The Taipei e-bus system is defined by a specific service schedule, and it makes designated stops.
Each bus driver is required to transmit his/her current bus location to the GIS SERVER on schedule in order to notify passengers and management in search of bus location services.

The current bus location features a real-time signifier: when the bus approaches the next stop, the built-in direction-orientation mechanism will notify the network control center, allowing passengers to acquire the current bus information either online, or via their PDA’s and mobile phones. Fleet managers can also easily keep tracks of all buses operating in Taipei.