Taipei: The New Taipei city government on Wednesday awarded the city’s 300 millionth YouBike user a travel pass worth NT$14,400 (US$456) for a full year of free regional public transport. The lucky rider, Huang Chih-wei, can now freely renew his monthly NT$1,200 (US$38) Taipei-New Taipei-Keelung-Taoyuan TPass for 12 months.
According to Focus Taiwan, Huang hit the milestone on Oct. 27 when he rented a YouBike during the morning rush hour to catch the MRT to his job in Taipei. At a ceremony in New Taipei, Huang told reporters that he has been commuting like this using TPass tickets for over a year. He said that he values the comfort of air-conditioning and the convenience of not having to worry about parking when taking public transportation. He added that New Taipei’s first-30-minutes-free YouBike policy was “one of the greatest perks of being a commuter.”
New Taipei City Mayor Hou Yu-ih said at the ceremony that Huang’s commuting habits perfectly illustrate the city’s goal of promoting “green transport connecting with public transit.” The Taipei-New Taipei-Keelung-Taoyuan TPass allows unlimited travel on Taiwan Railway Corp. trains, local and intercity buses, metro and light rail services, as well as YouBike.
