Executive Yuan to decide on transport ministry’s travel pass proposals on Thursday

Executive Yuan to decide on transport ministry’s travel pass proposals on Thursday

2023-02-21

The Executive Yuan is expected to come to a decision on Thursday about a proposal for three different kinds of travel passes proposed by the transport ministry. One of the proposals expands on an extant travel pass in Taipei and New Taipei, extending its scope to Taoyuan and Keelung, and adding more means of transportation such as TRA trains. The other two proposals are for urban areas in Central Taiwan and Southern Taiwan, with monthly passes costing NT$1,000.

In Taipei and New Taipei, commuters can take the MRT, buses and Youbikes as many times as they like with a monthly travel pass costing NT$1,280. Three new travel pass proposals from the transport ministry could be approved this Thursday: with a cheaper NT$1,200 travel pass that covers Taipei, New Taipei, Keelung and Taoyuan, and two other passes for Central and Southern Taiwan.

Member of public
It’s quite attractive. I often go to Keelung. It’d be cheaper and more convenient.

The proposals are as follows:

The pass for Taipei, New Taipei, Keelung and Taoyuan is similar to the monthly travel pass currently in use in Taipei and New Taipei. It’ll be NT$80 cheaper and expand to cover Keelung and Taoyuan, as well as coach buses and TRA trains.

The other two travel passes cover Taichung, Changhua and Nantou, and Tainan, Kaohsiung and Pingtung. They’ll be usable on all public transport, including MRT systems, buses, light rail, public bikes and TRA trains. The price is expected to be NT$1,000.

Member of public
It’s quite interesting. Firstly, it’s NT$80 cheaper. And also, you can use it to go to more places. You have more travel options.

Member of public
I can’t ride a scooter, but I have to commute a lot. If it’s cheaper and it also includes trains, then it’s worth the price.

Residents in Northern Taiwan are pleased with the proposals. Not so much in Taichung, where city buses are free, or in Changhua and Nantou, where there is no MRT. Over in the south, people say they tend to simply ride a scooter or drive a car to get around, and so the plan isn’t especially attractive.

Voice of Lee Ker-tsung
Consumer Protection Committee
There is a lot of interest in the pass for Taipei, New Taipei, Keelung and Taoyuan. But we are concerned that if there isn’t a thorough analysis on demand, it may not convince that many people to stop driving, limiting its effectiveness. Or perhaps we have to analyze problems regarding the plan’s sustainability after the first three years pass.

The transport ministry is requesting a budget of NT$20 billion over three years to subsidize transport service providers. Though the policy is hoped to make life easier for commuters, a question mark remains over how it will actually be received.

北北基桃1200.中南部千元月票政院估週四拍板

2023-02-21

交通部向行政院爭取，三年200億預算，推出"公共運輸月票補助方案"，預計週四拍板，鎖定北北基桃、中彰投、南高屏三大生活圈，推"交通月票"，北部的方案比現行雙北的便宜80元、只要1200元，中南部月票則是1000元，未來除了捷運、公車、公共自行車和輕軌，預計連國道客運及台鐵都可陸續納入。

雙北通勤族搭捷運、公車，或騎Youbike，都能購買1280月票，現在交通部要推新方案，預計週四公布，不只要推北北基桃1200元月票，中部、南部也要加入。

[[民眾]]
“有吸引力啊，因為我會經常去基隆，便宜也便利”

這項公共運輸月票補助，

北北基桃方案和雙北現有版本相比，便宜80元外，也將納入基隆、桃園兩縣市，加入國道客運、台鐵都能搭。中南部則鎖定"中彰投"和"南高屏"，兩大生活圈內的捷運、公車，輕軌和公共自行車都在使用範圍，票價1000元。

[[民眾]]
“我覺得是有吸引力，第一個少80塊，第二個是我覺得，可以去更多地方，路線變更多”

[[民眾]]
“我不會騎車，我是通勤比較多，如果有比較便宜，還可以搭到台鐵，我會覺得滿划算的”

北部民眾很有感，但中部因為台中市民搭公車免費，彰化、南投又都沒捷運，南部民眾則大多習慣騎車、開車，吸引力也不大。

[[聲源:消基會交通委員會召集人李克聰]]
“北北基桃的吸引力是滿大的，但是我們就擔心，如果沒有完整的需求分析的話，對於汽機車的轉移使用比例，這樣成效是有限的，或者三年之後，我們怎麼永續營運，都要把相關的問題分析清楚”

交通部爭取3年200億預算，補貼公共運輸，儘管政策立意良善，但該如何發揮最大功效，將是一大考驗。

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Chen Chien-jen
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Kung Ming-hsin
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If this NT$140 billion in handouts turns into consumer spending of that amount, or double that, it will be a boon for economic growth.

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Tsai Ing-wen
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Ro Khanna
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Tsai Ing-wen
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Faced with the challenges of the post-pandemic era, Taiwan and the U.S. can leverage each other’s strengths to build a more resilient technology sector. Also, on the topic of security, Taiwan continues to strengthen military exchanges with the U.S. In the future, we will be more active in our cooperation with the U.S. and other likeminded partners, to meet the challenges of expanding authoritarianism and climate change.

Ro Khanna
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Mr. Huang
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Shang Yu-fang
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