TPass to drive Taipei’s population decline: expert

2023-07-12

Already the most populous city in Taiwan, New Taipei saw a net increase of some 90,000 residents between this January and May, according to government figures. Notably, more than 19,000 of those residents had moved in from Taipei. Experts say that the population exodus from Taipei will only intensify in the coming months, as the new TPass program lowers the cost of commuting into Taipei.

TPass, the government’s new monthly commuter card, launched on July 1. Many Taipei office workers have made the switch.

Member of public
I live in Zhongli and I commute to Taipei every day. I feel that I can save about NT$1,000 a month using TPass, so it’s a good deal.

Member of public
I have some colleagues who live in Taoyuan or Keelung. TPass seems pretty convenient. And it’s cheaper than the old monthly pass.

After switching to TPass, a commuter who travels from Zhongli to Taipei could save about NT$1,000 a month. That’s no small incentive. Analysts predict that TPass, which connects Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan, and Keelung, could drive even more residents out of Taipei. According to government data, more than 90,000 people moved into New Taipei between January and May of this year. Some 19,000 of those people were from Taipei.

Member of public
Rental prices in Taipei are truly too expensive. Nowadays, if you have less than NT$10,000, the only places you can rent are the ones that look like haunted houses. My brother works in Xinzhuang and he also wants to move to New Taipei or in the direction of Taoyuan, where rents are quite a bit cheaper.

Lang Mei-nan
Real estate agent
Housing is more expensive in Taipei, and so that drives residents and buyers toward New Taipei and Taoyuan, where they get lower housing prices in return for a longer commute. But now that TPass is in the picture, we could see New Taipei benefit from it. After all, New Taipei and Taipei are relatively interlinked in terms of their mass transit systems.

According to the real estate agent, housing prices in many parts of New Taipei are just half of those in the capital. In addition, the two cities are connected by robust metro and bus networks. That’s making New Taipei a popular place to live for Taipei’s office workers. As for Taoyuan, commuters tend to favor homes along the Airport MRT. In comparison, Keelung is less favored by Taipei workers, due to its relatively sparse mass transit.

TPASS月票上路! 專家預估將加劇脫北潮

2023-07-12

根據內政部資料統計，今年1到5月，新北市遷入總人數9萬多人，其中來自台北市達1萬9千多人，專家預估，這個月開始啟用TPASS月票，因為能省下不少從外地往返的費用，之後可能會再加劇民眾「脫北
意願。

自從這個月，通勤月票TPASS上路後，許多從外縣市來台北的上班族，紛紛改用。

[[民眾]]
“我是住中壢，然後我就是每天通勤過來(台北)上班。然後我自己是覺得，每個月大概可以省1千多塊，滿划算的。”

[[民眾]]
“我有些同事就住在桃園或是基隆。感覺好像滿方便的，然後比之前的月票便宜嘛。”

台北中壢往返，交通費一個月省1千，誘因還不小，專家預估，能連結北北基桃的TPASS，有可能加劇「脫北潮
，根據統計，新北市今年1到5月，遷入人口超過9萬人，其中從台北市搬來的人口，就高達1萬9千多人。

[[民眾]]
“台北的房租真的太貴了，現在沒有1萬塊就是住的都像鬼屋一樣。我哥是在新莊工作，也會想要往新北，或是往桃園那邊住，因為房租真的便宜滿多的。”

[[房仲郎美囡]]
“台北市的房價相對比較高，因此把居住人口以及買方擠壓到新北以及桃園市。以通勤的時間來換取房價。不過在TPASS出現之後，可能會對於新北市有一個比較大的一個利多，畢竟新北跟台北市在大眾運輸的交通網路上面比較緊密。”

房仲分析，新北市許多區域的房價，只要台北市的一半，加上雙北捷運和公車連結緊密，成為通勤族的首選，桃園市則是機場捷運沿線較具優勢，基隆則因大眾運輸條件落差較大，較不受「脫北」民眾青睞。