TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taipei PASS, the Taipei City Government's latest app, is the solution the municipality has proposed in order to transform into a smart city based on mobile technology.

Life in Taipei has been more convenient since the release of Taipei Card 3.0 in 2018, an app that offers personal identity verification and multiple municipal services. However, Taipei City Hall wants to learn more about its citizens; it wishes to create a system in which everyone can have personalized services at their fingertips.

For Taipei City Hall, Taipei PASS is a critical part of establishing a smart city. It is more than just a registration or payment platform — the app serves as a one-stop solution for city services.

For instance, people can now send complaints or suggestions directly to the city. The city government can now also actively remind users — young and old — of the benefits they qualify for.

The more the app knows about its users, the more pertinent the help it can offer will be, including information on daycare centers for couples with newborns or canine-friendly parks for dog owners. Everything can be found on the app's personalized maps.

In the past, most apps focused on a single function, so everyone had multiple apps they rarely used, said Lu Hsin-Ke (呂新科), the commissioner of Taipei City Government's Department of Information Technology. Nowadays, however, he believes apps are more about incorporating multiple features — the concept Taipei PASS was built upon.

Taipei PASS is expected to become an efficient, cost-effective medium through which to share information. Traditional TV commercials and newspaper ads are becoming less effective as people, especially younger generations, spend more time on their smartphones, Lu noted.

According to him, that is why Taipei PASS provides discounts and coupons for products from more than 600 businesses around Taipei. Even young people, who generally have little to no connection with governmental bodies, have an incentive to download the app.

"As people change their habits, I believe smartphones will become the next battlefield," Lu said. "If the city government can create a cell phone-friendly environment for its citizens, the city can then serve those in need in a precise way."

Taipei PASS is now available for download on app stores. The English version is expected to be launched by the end of the year.

Lu in his industrial-style office at Taipei City Hall (Taiwan News photo)