Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) yesterday said it plans to substitute the 20 percent discount for Taipei MRT tickets purchased using electronic payment cards for a loyalty reward program to be implemented as soon as possible after the Lunar New Year holiday.
The loyalty reward program is intended to benefit people who regularly take the Taipei MRT with more discounts the more often they ride, TRTC general manager Yen Pang-chieh (顏邦傑) said at a Taipei City Council Transportation Committee meeting to review TRTC’s fiscal 2020 budget
The proposal, which received a nod from the Taipei City Government, but must still be reviewed by the company’s board before the city gives final approval, would offer cash rebates when a rider swipes their card at the gate, Yen said.
Photo: Tsai Ssu-pei, Taipei Times
Passengers taking the MRT 11 to 20 times per month would receive a 10 percent rebate, which would increase by 5 percent for every additional 10 rides, Yen said, adding that those who ride 51 times per month would receive a rebate of 30 percent.
An office worker might take the MRT 22 times a month and it is entirely possible they would take the MRT should they have any gatherings after work, the company said, adding that it would be easy to accrue 50 rides in one month.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Hsu Chiao-hsin (徐巧芯) said that EasyCard Corp is also planning a rider rebate program, rewarding users with a free trip on the MRT or Taipei City buses once they accrue enough points on the MRT.
However, New Taipei City Department of Transportation Director Chung Ming-shih (鍾鳴時) yesterday said he had reservations about the TRTC plan.
TRTC should not rashly implement the program when it has no statistical basis and no popular consensus for it, Chung said.
TRTC is not just a for-profit company, it must also shoulder some social responsibilities, Chung said, adding that abolishing the 20 percent discount harms individuals taking mass transportation in Taipei and New Taipei City.
The usage case cited by TRTC is only for regular MRT riders and the company lacks a comprehensive assessment on how the program would affect elderly people, children and those with disabilities, he said.
“Should everything be as pretty as TRTC has painted it, then all is well,” he said.
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