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Residents changing transport habits

An increasing number of Taipei residents are finding alternative transportation in the face of soaring fuel prices, a survey conducted by the Taipei City Government showed yesterday.

About 27 percent of car drivers surveyed said they had begun to ride scooters to work, while 23 percent said they used the mass rapid transit (MRT) system to save on costs, the survey released by Taipei City’s Research, Development and Evaluation Commission said.

The survey interviewed 1,071 participants between May 26 and May 28.

change

Among the 24 percent who changed their mode of transportation because of gas price hikes, 70 percent were car drivers, while more scooter drivers shifted to public transportation, commissioner Emile Sheng (盛治仁) said.

“Although about 75 percent of respondents did not find alternative transportation, there’s still a clear trend of people switching to cheaper transportation alternatives given high gas prices,” Sheng said at Taipei City Hall.

Compared with the survey conducted by the commission in January, the number of bus passengers increased 4 percent, while the number of cyclists and scooter posted individual increases of 1 percent, the tallies showed.

Scooters remained the most popular form of transportation.

Discounts

To encourage residents to use public transportation, the city government announced on May 30 it was lowering MRT fares for three months until Aug. 31.

The plan gives Easy Card holders a 25 percent discount, up from 20 percent, while physically challenged and elderly passengers receive a discount of 72.5 percent, up from 60 percent.

Sheng said the city government would come up with more policies to encourage residents to take advantage of public transportation.
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