The multi-purpose "EasyCard," used to pay transit fees on Taipei MRT lines and buses, celebrated a record-breaking sale yesterday as the circulation of the card broke the 10 million mark.
The EasyCard, the sixth-largest circulated card of its kind in the world, which was first issued on June 12, 2002, reached 9 million in circulation in April, and is expected to reach 15 million in circulation in the near future, according to Taipei Smart Card Corporation (TSCC).
Celebrating the circulation, Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (
PHOTO: LIN CHENG-KUN, TAIPEI TIMES
"We hope that ultimately, everyone can travel around the country with one EasyCard in hand," Hau said as he addressed the celebration at the Taipei City Hall.
Besides MRT fees and buses, the card can also be used to pay parking fees and admission to Taipei's Maokong gondola system.
The TSCC already joined efforts with Taipei County, Keelung city and Taoyuan County for the card to be used to pay for part of the area's transportation fees.
Former Taipei mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
"I believe the circulation will continue to increase, and its uses will continue to expand," he said.
A total of 1,000 special-edition EasyCards featuring tiny photos of 1,000 citizens holding their cards in a mosaic went on sale yesterday at the gift shop at City Hall and the MRT gift shop near exit six of the Taipei Main Station.
Showing his personal collection of 4,654 special edition EasyCards, Taipei resident Huang Hung-rong (黃鴻榮) said collecting the cards has cost him NT$2 million (US$ 60,000).
He will continue the collection as the card represented the convenience the MRT has brought to the city.
In an effort to protect passengers' rights, TSCC Chairman Chen Yu-chang (
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) on Friday laid out the Cabinet’s updated policy agenda and recapped the government’s achievements ahead of the one-year anniversary of President William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration. Cho said the government had made progress across a range of areas, including rebuilding Hualien, cracking down on fraud, improving pedestrian safety and promoting economic growth. “I hope the public will not have the impression that the Cabinet only asked the legislature to reconsider a bunch of legal amendments,” Cho said, calling the moves “necessary” to protect constitutional governance and the public’s interest. The Cabinet would work toward achieving its “1+7” plan, he said. The
Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) hosted a dinner in Taipei last night with key Taiwanese suppliers to celebrate the successful mass production of the company’s new Blackwell AI systems. Speaking to the media earlier yesterday, Huang thanked Nvidia’s Taiwanese partners for their contributions to the company’s ecosystem, while also sharing his plans to meet with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) founder Morris Chang (張忠謀). In response to rumors that Nvidia will launch a downgraded Hopper H20 chip for China in July, Huang dismissed the reports, saying, “That is not true.” He clarified that there
RSS