New maps at bus stops will feature the full English translation of stop names for the first time, the Taipei Department of Transportation said yesterday.
The department unveiled a prototype design at the intersection of Renai (仁愛) and Xinsheng (新生) roads. The map is similar to those used in Taipei’s MRT system.
All stops along each route are marked in Mandarin Chinese and English, with icons identifying which stops are adjacent to MRT or YouBike stations. Routes that charge additional fares for longer rides are marked with a dotted line representing the buffer zone before multiple fares are charged.
Photo: Wu Liang-yi, Taipei Times
“In the past we were only able to provide English translation for five or six stations along each route,” Commissioner Wang Sheng-wei (王聲威) said. “The new design will be more convenient for international travelers.”
The comprehensive map opened up space for larger fonts and English translations, Public Transportation Office Director Chen Jung-ming (陳榮明) said.
Compared with previous designs, which separately listed each route’s stops, the new map reduces repetition and saves space, officials said.
The Renai Road station was chosen for the department’s prototype map because of the specialized quick bus lanes that run through the road’s center.
These lanes make the bus routes that run along the road relatively important and stable, he said.
The city’s 300 bus routes are often adjusted, making it unrealistic to design individual route maps for each of the city’s 3,000 individual stations, he added.
Chen said the office plans to install similar maps at other stops along Renai Road’s specialized bus lane, with the possibility of further expansion to the city’s 13 other roads with similar lanes.
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