The government’s TPass monthly mass public transportation program launched yesterday in metropolitan areas with authorities saying that the true test of the system would be with greater passenger volumes tomorrow.
As of Friday, nearly 180,000 people had bought TPasses by adding value to their prepaid transit cards, including 71,551 people in the northern region, 18,221 in the central region and 90,203 in the southern region, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said.
Moreover, nearly 100,000 new TPasses — 74,917 in the north, 16,912 in the central region and 8,282 in the south — had been purchased, the ministry said.
Photo: CNA
The passes are unavailable in eastern areas, as well as Hsinchu city and county, and outlying counties, it said.
In Taoyuan, as of noon yesterday, about 2,000 passengers boarded the Taoyuan Airport MRT using TPass, with the A1, A8 and A7 stations showing the most activity, Taoyuan Department of Transportation director-general Chang Hsin-fu (張新福) said.
A problem occurred at Taoyuan Railway Station, where senior citizen MRT cards were incompatible with TPass readers, Chang said, adding that station personnel resolved the issue by manually opening gates for people whose cards would not work.
The true test would be tomorrow’s rush times, he said.
TPass works with Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA), MRT, shared bike and many bus services in Keelung, Taipei, New Taipei City and Taoyuan, officials said.
The Taipei Department of Transportation said it expects more than 40,000 people to buy new TPass cards tomorrow and 340,000 by the end of the month.
TPass cannot be used for Puyuma Express, Taroko Express, EMU3000 and rail tour services, TRA deputy head of transportation operations Chen Jung-pin (陳榮彬) said.
The three TPass regions cover Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan and Keelung for NT$1,200 per month; Taichung, and Miaoli, Nantou and Changhua counties for NT$699 for Taichung residents or NT$999 for non-Taichung residents; and Kaohsiung, Tainan and Pingtung County for NT$999 per month.
The TPass scheme was launched under the government’s NT$380 billion (US$12.2 billion) post-COVID-19 pandemic economic recovery package, which was passed by lawmakers on March 24.
Meanwhile, Kaohsiung’s monthly citywide NT$399 public transport pass was expanded yesterday to cover TRA services within city limits, the Kaohsiung Transportation Bureau said.
In related news, the Tourism Bureau launched the Taiwan Tour Buses program in collaboration with 22 tourism agencies providing 83 tour packages until the end of this year.
Every two people who buy a package can add a third person free of charge, the Tourism Bureau said, adding that the service is aimed at boosting domestic and international tourism.
Taiwan Tour Buses provides a tour guide, bus driver and meals depending on the package, said Tsai Tsung-sheng (蔡宗昇), deputy head of the Tourism Bureau’s domestic travel division.
The minimum number required for tour groups is kept low and some packages can be offered as guided tours for a single person, Tsai said.
The buses are designed to enable people to easily find lodging, dining, shopping and other transportation options, the Tourism Bureau said, adding that it hopes the program would facilitate the post-pandemic recovery of the tourism industry.
Additional reporting by Ting Yi
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