TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taipei will fully phase out YouBike 1.0 bicycles in favor of the greener YouBike 2.0 version on Dec. 3.

The Taipei City Department of Transportation (DOT) said on Friday (Nov. 18) that it had reached its expansion target of over 1,200 YouBike 2.0 stations ahead of schedule in October. There are now 1,290 YouBike 2.0 stations, and YouBike 1.0 bikes will be retired after over a decade of service.

Starting on Dec. 3, YouBike 1.0 bicycles will no longer be available for use by the public. According to the DOT, although rentals of YouBike 1.0 bikes will no longer be available on Dec. 3, there will be a grace period that runs until Dec. 6 that allows riders to return the bikes.

In addition, from Dec. 7-12, some 30 stations with high usage rates on the border between Taipei City and New Taipei City, such as Nangang and Guandu will continue to allow for returns of YouBike 1.0 bicycles.

People riding from New Taipei City to Taipei City are reminded that they should be sure to ride the YouBike 2.0 bikes, otherwise they will need to pay the manufacturer a dispatch fee of NT$350.

According to DOT statistics, YouBike 1.0 has been in service for more than 13 years, and the number of rides has exceeded 200 million. With the establishment of the YouBike 2.0 system, people have gradually switched to 2.0.

As of October, the proportion of YouBike 1.0 rentals in the entire system has dropped to 8.5%. The YouBike 2.0 model features a solar-powered smart panel and is painted white to distinguish them from the old bikes, which are painted orange.