The new Taipei Bus Station, the biggest bus terminal in the city, opened yesterday amid concerns that increased traffic would exacerbate congestion on Huayin Street, Chengde Road and Civic Boulevard.
The station, located at the intersection of Chengde Road and Huayin Street, will serve as the main transportation hub for 10 bus companies running 39 routes to Ilan County and cities, as well as counties south of Hsinchu.
Five other bus companies providing 10 routes to Taoyuan County and cities and counties north of Taoyuan will continue to use the old bus station on Chongqing N Road.
PHOTO: HUNG MIN-LUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
No serious traffic jams were reported around the station yesterday.
Liang Heng-de (梁恒德), assistant director of the Department of Transportation’s public transportation office, said the department and all bus companies had held a trial run during the past two months, which accounted for the smooth launch of operations.
The Traffic Police Division dispatched about 40 traffic police to the area to prevent traffic jams.
Most passengers taking buses at the station yesterday welcomed the comfortable environment of the new station, but complained about unclear signs.
“It took us a while to find the entrance to the station and we had to walk a long way from Taipei Main Station to take a bus here. It is quite inconvenient,” a female passenger surnamed Lin said.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Chen Yu-mei (陳玉梅) expressed her concerns about serious traffic congestion around the station during weekends and rush hour, as several hundred buses would be entering and exiting the station every day, increasing traffic on the already crowded Chengde Road and Civic Boulevard.
Commissioner of the transportation department Luo Shiaw-shyan (羅孝賢) said the city would enforce overpass entrance controls on Civic Boulevard and other measures to avoid problems.
The bus station has 30 ticketing counters on the first floor and 32 platforms on the second, third and fourth floors. The 24-story building also features a shopping area, movie theater and hotel, which are scheduled to open next month.
To celebrate the opening of the station, the underground parking lot on Civil Boulevard will be free for scooters until Sept. 10.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
The New Taipei City Government would assist relatives of those killed or injured in last month’s car-ramming incident in Sansia District (三峽) to secure compensation, Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said yesterday, two days after the driver died in a hospital. “The city government will do its best to help the relatives of the car crash incident seek compensation,” Hou said. The mayor also said that the city’s Legal Affairs, Education and Social Welfare departments have established a joint mechanism to “provide coordinated assistance” to victims and their families. Three people were killed and 12 injured when a car plowed into schoolchildren and their
RSS