Keelung’s youth electric scooter program will relaunch on Jan 1 with several updates, including more models available for NT$0 monthly installments, the city’s Bureau of Environmental Protection said.
As part of the program, Keelung citizens between 20 to 45 can trade-in an older gasoline-powered scooter for a new electric one, either for a subsidized monthly installment plan or an outright purchase, it said.
The monthly subsidies range from NT$300 to NT$699 and last for three to five years, and the one-time subsidy for purchases is NT$60,000 (US$1,850), but with no monthly assistance, the city’s government said.
Photo: Lu Hsien-hsu, Taipei Times
There are six models that are eligible for the zero-monthly payment option, and nine for the NT$60,000 purchase subsidy, it said.
Qualified individuals can apply online before submitting documents to one of the city’s 50 partner dealerships, the bureau said.
The program, which first launched in September last year, has already seen 15,000 people apply, but due to several controversies, it was temporarily halted in July this year.
Applicants must be Keelung residents, between 20 and 45 years old, and trade in a scooter that was registered in the city prior to Dec. 31, 2021, it said.
Applicants do not have to submit their own vehicle as they can trade in a relative’s or friend’s scooter as well, it said.
The program does not require public service or volunteering to be eligible, although that is encouraged, the city’s government said.
The program also encourages mobile battery charging, as it includes access to 60 exchange stations and 15 charging points, with both set to increase in future.
For the purchase subsidy, eligible models include Gogoro, Yamaha and Suzuki scooters.
The Keelung Bureau of Environmental Protection has budgeted for 1,000 approved applicants a month.
If the number of applicants exceeds that quota, the agency will livestream a lottery drawing on its Facebook page.
The application period will run between Jan 1 and Jan 15.
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