Free buses and frequent MRT services to Taipei Zoo will be offered during the Lunar New Year holiday as more than 100,000 visitors are expected to visit the two giant pandas every day during the holiday, the Taipei City Government said yesterday.
Free bus services between Taipei City Hall and the zoo will be offered between 7am and 6pm from Monday to Sunday, the Department of Transportation said. In addition, three new bus lines — bus 120 from the Taipei Railway Station, 121 from MRT Gongguan Station and 122 from MRT Zhongshan Junior High School Station — will provide transportation to the zoo during the holiday and weekends.
Lin Li-yu (林麗玉), deputy commissioner of the department, said the MRT Muzha Line would increase the frequency of its service during the holiday.
Transportation measures in response to the expected crowds in the zoo during the holiday also include a 1.3km exclusive bus lane along the parking lot on Shinkuan Road Sec. 2.
Parking space along that special zone will be canceled, while the parking fee at other lots around the zoo will be increased from NT$150 for a full day to NT$60 per hour.
Cars parked between Wanshou Bridge (萬壽橋) and Wanfu Bridge (萬福橋) will be charged fees starting on Monday, Lin said.
Taipei Zoo director Jason Yeh (葉傑生) said the panda exhibition hall would officially open to the public on Monday. People wishing to see the animals will need to obtain a number slip and visits inside the hall will be limited to 10 minutes.
Operating hours at the zoo from Monday to Sunday will be 8:30am until 5:30pm. Normal operating hours (9am to 5pm) will resume on Feb. 2.
Additional information on transportation is available at www.taipei.gov.tw, with information on bus routes available at www.5284.com.tw.
STAMPS
Meanwhile, stamp collectors swarmed the Taipei Beimen Post Office yesterday morning hoping to buy limited copies of Giant Pandas stamps scheduled to be made available this week.
Both stamps and the stamp folders quickly sold out.
The collection includes a NT$5 stamp featuring Tuan Tuan (團團), a NT$9 stamp featuring Yuan Yuan (圓圓) and a NT$25 stamp featuring a photo of both.
The post office said it printed 1 million units of each. As many as 25,000 stamp folders that include all three stamps, a miniature sheet, a first-day cover and three postcards are also available for NT$180 each.
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