TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — New Taipei will offer free YouBike rides for the first 30 minutes early next year.
During a city council meeting on Wednesday (Oct. 16), New Taipei Mayor Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) said that since Taipei and New Taipei form a shared living area, New Taipei City will offer the first 30 minutes of YouBike usage for free, but preparations need to be made first, per Liberty Times.
The New Taipei Transportation Department estimates the policy could be rolled out as soon as the first quarter of next year, with an expected increase of NT$165 million (US$5.1 million) for the budget.
Wu Cheng-yen (吳政諺), a Transportation Department official, said that New Taipei has more than 21,000 YouBikes and 1,300 stations, with the goal of expanding to 1,500 stations. Before the COVID pandemic, YouBike usage in New Taipei peaked at 120,000 rides per day, dropped to 40,000 during the pandemic, and now stands at around 90,000 rides per day.
Transportation Department Director Chung Ming-shih (鍾鳴時) said the first 30 minutes were free when the public share bikes were first launched in New Taipei, but this was later changed to a paid system.
Currently, users with the Taipei-New Taipei-Taoyuan NT$1,200 monthly TPASS or those transferring to a bus or MRT can still take the first 30 minutes of YouBike for free, with the city government subsidizing the NT$10 cost.
For the general public, the first 30 minutes cost NT$5, with the rest of the NT$10 paid by the city government.
It is estimated that after the policy is introduced, YouBike usage could increase by 15%, with the annual budget increasing by NT$165 million, from the current NT$280 million to NT$445 million.
Chung pointed to four goals for reinstating the 30-minute free policy:
- Increasing bicycle availability
- Improving the condition of bicycles
- Convincing people to switch to public transportation
- Meeting the public’s recreational needs
The bicycle availability rate in New Taipei is about 90%, which needs to be increased to at least 95%.
