The operators of the country’s four largest MRT metro rail systems have predicted combined losses of up to NT$10.156 billion (US$364.54 million) due to low ridership after the nationwide COVID-19 alert was raised to level 3 on May 19.
For the year, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp estimated losses of NT$5 billion to NT$8 billion, Taoyuan Metro Corp forecast NT$900 million in losses for its line from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Taipei, Taichung Mass Rapid Transit System Co predicted losses of NT$656 million and Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corp estimated NT$600 million in losses, the companies said on Saturday.
In 2019, the average daily ridership of the Taipei MRT system was 2.16 million people, which dropped slightly to about 2 million people from last year through April, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said on Friday.
Photo: CNA
However, after the pandemic alert was raised to level 3, daily ridership dropped to 430,000 people, he said, adding that it rose to 620,000 last month and just fewer than 1 million so far this month.
Taoyuan Metro said a lack of travelers entering the country through Taoyuan airport throughout the COVID-19 pandemic has had a large effect on its revenue.
The company said it has implemented cost-cutting measures and applied to the central government for subsidies.
It said it has asked the Ministry of Economic Affairs to reduce or waive its electricity fees, and has applied to the Ministry of Transportation and Communications for COVID-19 relief funding.
Ridership in Taichung over the past week has been about 10,000 people daily, one-fifth of the number recorded prior to May, Taichung Mass Rapid Transit chairman Lin Chih-ying (林志盈) said.
The company has lost NT$235 million over the past few months, and total losses for the year are expected to reach NT$656 million, he said.
The company has started cost-cutting measures, including better resource management, reducing electricity usage wherever possible and more cost-efficient maintenance of tracks and vehicles, he said.
Ridership on the Kaohsiung MRT hit a 13-year low in June, with only 11,970 people using the system on June 13 — its lowest ridership to date, Kaohsiung Rapid Transit said.
Currently, daily ridership is about 24,000 people, it said.
“When we saw that huge drop in ridership in June we were estimating that losses for the year would reach NT$1.3 billion,” it said. “However, with ridership now starting to recover, we are expecting losses for the year to be about NT$600 million.”
Combined its losses of NT$430 million last year, the company would have lost more than NT$1 billion by the end of this year, it said.
Additional reporting by Chou Min-hung and Ko Yu-hao
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