Two years from now, people will be able to enjoy the convenience of using a single transportation card anywhere in Taiwan. The first major threshold has been crossed for the multi-card transportation system. Last week the Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) began accepting bids for the multi-card purchase system for routes from Hsinchu County to Miaoli County and Linnei Township to Pingtung County. The Pingxi and Neiwan train routes will soon go online at the same time as well, followed by routes in central and eastern Taiwan next year and the following year.
The TRA currently utilizes a system that only allows different smart cards to be used for purchases in northern Taiwan for the two routes running between Fulong to Hsinchu and Shalun to Liujia. TRA has recently announced a three-phase project that will eventually allow multiple smart cards to be used throughout Taiwan. They started accepting bids for the first phase of the project last week. The multi-card system will be available for northern and southern train routes, as well as the Pingxi and Neiwan routes, during the first half of next year. You will be able to purchase tickets using the Taipei EasyCard, the Taiwan Easy Go card, or the Far Eastern Electronic Toll Collection Co card.
The third phase of the project includes northbound routes, Hualien County, Taitung County, as well as the southbound routes, bids for which are set to begin at the end of the year after next and should be available by the beginning of 2015. The multi-card service for purchasing a ticket on any TRA train, which includes Taipei’s EasyCard, Taiwan Easy Go, and Far Eastern Electronic Toll Collection Co’s card, will be available soon. The estimated cost of the three-phase project is more than NT$430 million (US$14.8 million).
Photo: Tseng Hung-ju, Liberty Times
照片:自由時報記者曾鴻儒
Aside from TRA, Taiwan High Speed Rail Co (THSRC) has also agreed to allow customers who have co-branded EasyCard credit cards to purchase tickets with their cards, but the service is only available for non-reserved seats. THSRC says it is willing to work with other companies that provide electronic card ticketing services, including Taipei’s EasyCard Co, if they are willing to allow customers to use the cards to purchase high-speed rail tickets.
Among the nation’s tour bus companies, the United Bus Co offers electronic card ticketing for certain routes, but the company’s general manager, Bai Te-tsun, says that a one-way trip can cost between NT$600 and NT$700, so a person sometimes has to add money to their card after only two trips. He also says the number of people using smart cards for ticket purchases was so minimal that they already stopped offering the service for such routes. Other companies, including Ho Hsin Bus Traffic Co, are considering allowing the use of smart cards for purchases, but say they still have to use alternative methods for seating.
(Liberty Times, Translated by Kyle Jeffcoat)
再等兩年,全台民眾都可以享受「一張卡刷全台灣」的便利好康!交通智慧卡多卡通跨出關鍵一步,台鐵上週招標建置新竹至苗栗、林內至屏東多卡通系統,平溪、內灣兩支線也將一併建置,中部和東部則於明、後年跟進!
台鐵目前僅北部福隆至新竹及沙崙、六家兩支線完成多卡通系統建置,最近敲定分三階段完成環台多卡通計畫,第一階段上週開標,北部、南部與平溪、內灣兩支線,明年上半年就可啟用,民眾持台北悠遊卡、台灣智慧卡或e通卡,均可搭乘火車。
第三階段則以北迴、花東與南迴線為主,預計後年底招標,二○一五年初啟用,屆時,環島鐵路多卡通就可完成,民眾持用台北悠遊卡、台灣智慧卡或遠通電收的e通卡,可進出台鐵任一車站搭車;三階段建置經費共新台幣四億三千餘萬元。
除了台鐵,高鐵目前已經先允許旅客持悠遊聯名卡搭乘高鐵,但僅限自由座,高鐵公司表示,未來包括悠遊卡或其他電子票證業者,如果願意開放用戶搭乘高鐵,高鐵會配合。
國道客運先前已有統聯開放部分路線讓旅客使用電子票證,但統聯總經理白德存表示,國道客運搭一趟最多需新台幣六、七百元,民眾搭個兩趟就得加值,利用率不高,目前已暫時停用。和欣等業者則考慮開放旅客持電子票證付費,但仍須另外劃位。
(自由時報記者曾鴻儒)
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