German tourist praises Taipei Metro’s cleanliness and accessibility

German tourist praises Taipei Metro’s cleanliness and accessibility

2026-06-22

People living in Taiwan may take its public transportation for granted, but international visitors often find it outstanding. One German tourist highlighted the punctuality and accessibility of Taiwan’s trains and subway, comparing it to Germany, where trains are often late and public toilets charge a fee. He said he was pleasantly surprised to see station staff in Taiwan personally escort visually impaired passengers.

Taiwan’s railway, high-speed rail, and subway connect at Taipei Main Station, the nation’s biggest public transit hub. A German tourist recently praised the punctuality and accessibility of Taiwan’s trains and subway.

Chris
German tourist
Some of our restrooms in public they are really, really disgusting. Even on the highway, you have to pay for them. Your public transportation, at almost every train or metro station, it’s very, very safe. The airport metro and high-speed railway are always punctual.

Chris said that while security and cleanliness in Germany’s railway stations need improvement, Taiwan’s stations are clean, with free restrooms and orderly waiting lines on the platforms. But what surprised him most was their accessibility.

Chris
German tourist
I can’t imagine! My grandfather in Germany is almost blind, and if I see this, a security guard is helping him walking up the stairs, putting his hands behind his back so he doesn’t fall, it’s absolutely mind-blowing.

Taipei Metro provides comprehensive accessibility services for visually impaired passengers, including staff escorts, tactile paving, accessible elevators, and audio guidance. FTV recently filmed Ingo Brandenburg, president of Taiwan operations for the German multinational company Bayer, riding the metro. He spoke highly of it, also citing its accessibility services.

Ingo Brandenburg
Bayer Taiwan president
Coming from Europe, we cannot believe it is clean, it is punctual, it is on time, and it gets you everywhere. You have elevators on every train station and metro station, high-speed rail station, so visually impaired or any other impaired, you have thought this really well through. The service is fantastic.

Taiwan passenger
Staff are notified if someone has mobility issues and will come help. In other countries like Korea, there are stairs almost everywhere. Not long ago I saw someone faint on the metro, and someone came to help right away.

Even taking the chance to try a Taiwan Railways bento box, Chris emphasized that Taiwanese people might appreciate their country even more after traveling abroad.

Chris
German tourist
The grass isn’t always greener on the other side.

Taiwan’s accessible, reliable public transportation stands out internationally, leaving a strong impression on foreign tourists.

#publictransportation #metro #MRT #Taiwan #TaipeiMetro #accessible #tourist #station #Germany #TaipeiMainStation

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

德國人誇讚捷運.高鐵"乾淨安全" 台灣拜耳總裁:給最高評價

2026-06-22

台灣人習以為常的交通日常，在國際旅客眼中，竟然充滿諸多不可思議！近來就有德國人拍片直言，家鄉的火車幾乎從不準時、上公廁還要收錢，反觀台灣的高鐵、捷運不只準時，更織出了綿密的"無障礙防護網"，不敢相信會有保全人員，親自牽著視障朋友搭車，連德國跨國集團的台灣總裁搭乘後，也給出最高評價。

台北車站三鐵共構、四通八達，近來就有德國人拍片分享台灣大眾運輸系統，許多細節，值得稱讚！

[[德國旅客 Chris]]
“我們有些公廁真的非常骯髒，甚至連在高速公路上的廁所，你也必須付費使用。不過台灣的大眾運輸，幾乎每個火車站和地鐵站，都讓人感到無比安全，你們的機捷和高鐵也一向都很準時。”

德國人Chris直言家鄉車站治安、整潔，有待加強，反觀台鐵和台灣捷運，都是無菸環境，免費公廁也很乾淨，且月台設有等待線，排隊隊伍井然有序，但最令他意外的，是這個。

[[德國旅客 Chris]]
“我只要一想到我在德國，幾乎快要全盲的爺爺，如果我看見眼前這一幕，像影片中的捷運保全，居然這樣牽著視障朋友走上樓梯，還把手護在對方背後以防他摔倒，這真的讓我超級震驚！”

北捷照護視障朋友，實現交通無障礙，針對視障旅客，有專人接力引導、導盲磚、無障礙電梯，以及語音設備等協助，民視獨家拍到，德國製藥與化工跨國集團，台灣拜耳總裁卜英格，搭乘捷運的畫面，他二話不說，給北捷最高評價。

[[台灣拜耳總裁卜英格]]
“對我們從歐洲過來的人來說，這裡的交通非常準時、一向守時，而且到哪裡都到得了。每個火車站、捷運站、高鐵站都設有電梯，所以不論是視障朋友還是其他身障人士，你們真的把這點規劃得非常周全，服務真的是太棒了。”

[[台灣旅客]]
“行動不方便的站務員會通知，然後就會有人來協助。因為一些韓國什麼的（國家），就是幾乎都是樓梯，前不久我看到（台灣捷運）有人暈倒，然後馬上就有人來協助。”

出了國，更知家鄉好，德國人Chris也用台鐵便當強調...

[[德國旅客 Chris]]
“外國的月亮真的沒有比較圓。”

台灣最溫暖的軟實力，足以在國際發光。

更多新聞內容，請鎖定：
民視台灣台（152頻道）週一至週五晚上9:30
民視新聞台（53頻道）週二至週六凌晨1:00

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Late-night hair salon houses six friendly cats

Around the corner from Taichung’s Zhonghua Road Night Market is a hair salon that’s great for night owls and animal lovers alike. The salon is home to six cats, all adopted by its animal-loving owner. It’s also open until late at night, making it great for people who work late. It’s only been open for about half a year, but its friendly cats and late hours have made it very popular.

A pedestrian stops in front of a store, observing the cats inside. Some sit on a cat tree, others lay on the floor, and a curious gray cat comes to the window to say hello to the visitor.

Member of public
Surprised by hair salon
It took me a little while to realize that this is a hair salon. At first, I thought it was a pet café or something like that.

It may seem like a pet store, but this is actually a hair salon. It’s home to six friendly cats, some of whom even jump up on customers’ laps while they are getting their hair cut.

Customer
Loves hair salon
It’s very therapeutic. They’ll all jump up. The orange one even took a nap on my lap.

Customer
Loves hair salon
One jumped on my lap when I came last time. It’s very cute. I took a photo with it.

This salon, close to Taichung’s Zhonghua Road Night Market, is open from the afternoon until late night. The owner keeps her cats at the store so they aren’t home alone, but she didn’t expect they would help her business prosper.

Customer
Loves hair salon
They’re open until really late. One time I was still getting my hair done at three or four in the morning.

Customer
Loves hair salon
It’s a great place to come when I get off work late.

Women with long hair love coming here to get their hair washed and styled, all while enjoying some quality cat therapy.

Zoey
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We weren’t originally planning to open a pet hair salon, but I started adopting more cats, and my friend even gave me one when we opened the salon, so I suddenly had six cats to care for.

Chiang-chiang
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People can come here to pet cats and relax. People who don’t own any cats can come here to pet them. There’s no need to buy anything, it’s okay to just pet the cats. This is a great place to relax.

Many people enter the store to say hello to the cats and end up becoming customers. These cute cats have brought a lot of business to the hair salon, a perfect place for night owls and cat lovers alike.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
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Nostalgic, cheap popsicles fly off shelves as summer arrives

At the weather keeps getting hotter, there’s nothing better than enjoying an icy treat. If you’re on a budget, you can’t go wrong with the shop near Kuei-Shan Power Station in Xindian District. At only NT$8 for the cheapest popsicle, many people make special trips up the mountain just to get one. Supermarkets have also announced their best-selling iced treats, all of which come in at under NT$20. Let’s take a look at this summer’s most popular budget-friendly eats.

- With prices rising, what can you even get for NT$10 anymore? I came to Taipower’s Kuei-Shan Power Station, because the cheapest popsicle here is only NT$8!

It’s so satisfying to bite into an icy, flavorful popsicle. As the temperature continues to climb, the best summer companion is one of these classic treats.

- I got the peanut. It’s so sweet and tasty.
- It’s super hot and muggy! So I wanted to eat some ice cream to cool down.

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Customer
Cones every summer
I come here every summer. It’s cheap for one, and also delicious and packed with real ingredients. Look at everything in here! I get five or six of every flavor to keep in my freezer. It lasts for about a month.

This shop by the power station isn’t the only one drawing in business. Supermarkets are also seeing a surge in popsicle shoppers.

- There are tons of frozen treats to choose from in this supermarket aisle, but which is the most popular? Let’s find out.

Number one are these ice bars many people remember eating as kids. With a wide array of flavors, supermarkets can easily move over 10,000 of them in a single month. Coming in second are these traditional popsicles, selling at only NT$12 each. Third are these classic red bean milk popsicles, followed by ice cream sundaes in fourth and fifth.

Member of public
Likes the ice lollies
I like the soda one. It’s cheap and tasty.

Member of public
Likes the ice lollies
I like the milk flavors. The kids like anything mango or red bean. We usually go for the family value packs since they’re much more economical than buying individual ones.

Liu Ju-hui
Supermarket PR assistant manager
Compared with the same period last year, we can already see that overall revenue for frozen desserts has grown by nearly 20%. In terms of leaders, sales are mostly dominated by classic popsicles and Taiwanese flavors. Their low price makes them an easy impulse purchase for shoppers.

Nostalgic flavors are the favorite for Taiwanese shoppers. With simple ingredients and friendly pricing, sales of these icy treats are sure to keep rising along with the heat.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
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Kaohsiung MRT’s famous cat now has his own comic series

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Mikan the Stationmaster has an exciting new collab. This time, he’s become the main character in an online comic series.

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I’m looking forward to it. Before I’d have to go to Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station to see Mikan the cat himself in person, or hunt down his merch.

Every year, Kaohsiung Metro celebrates Mikan’s birthday on April 4 with a series of events and special in-station features. This year, the fare gate even opens with his meow. Occasionally, Mikan will appear at the service desk at Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station to meet fans. Mikan and his cartoon likeness have also featured in a wide range of collabs and tie-ins. For example, in January he collaborated with Beigang Chaotian Temple, dressing up as the Tiger Deity and in the temple’s procession robe, to worshippers’ delight.

Caroline Chang
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Last year, Mikan generated around NT$24 million in revenue. This year, we’ll have a series of collabs with internationally renowned IP characters.

Originally a stray cat, Mikan was adopted by the Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station staff. He’s named after the satsuma mandarin for the way he curls up into a ball, resembling a citrus fruit. With more and more collabs and even his own comic series, it’s not an exaggeration to say that Mikan has become Kaohsiung Metro’s very own lucky cat.

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Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
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Chen Yu-chu
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Deep in the mountains in Hualien, an aerial photograph reveals that a 3-hectare barrier lake has formed next to a large landslide. The barrier lake is only 7km to the north of where the Matai’an barrier lake breach disaster occurred last year.

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Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency
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Ever since the Matai’an Creek disaster, the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency has routinely monitored the nearby area. The agency found a new barrier lake where the upper reaches of Wanli Creek passes through Lintianshan Forestry Culture Park. The body of water is deeper in the mountains than last year’s barrier lake at Matai’an Creek. The closest settlement is Wanrung Village at 22km away; and there’s also Xibao Bridge and Wanli Creek Bridge, which are 24km and 27km away, respectively. Many landslides have occurred near Wanrung Village, so the closest cars can get is 3.5km, and there’s no hiking path that leads to the body of water. As a result, a helicopter was sent to inspect the area on Monday morning.

Huang Chium-tse
Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency
Based on preliminary data, we’ve already notified the Ninth River Management Branch, and they’ll help us monitor water levels. Hualien County Government, Fenglin Township Office, and Wanrung Township Office were also immediately notified about the situation.

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