Taipei City should expand its public bicycle rental program by setting up more rental sites around the city, a Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei City councilor said yesterday, urging the city to learn from Greater Kaohsiung’s bike program.
Taipei City has set up 11 public bicycle rental sites in Xinyi District (信義) since launching the program in 2009, providing 500 bicycles for rent near MRT metropolitan rail stations in the district, including Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall Station and Taipei City Hall Station.
According to the city’s Department of Transportation, an average of 23 people a day use the system. The department has budgeted NT$14 million (US$ 470,000) a year to manage the program, and incurred a loss of more than NT$10 million since its launch.
KMT Taipei City Councilor Lee Yen-shiu (李彥秀) said the department has failed to promote the program by limiting it to the Xinyi District. She called for the number of rental sites to be expanded to 12 districts and for a friendlier environment to be created for cyclists.
“Public bicycles should not only be used for recreational purposes, but as a short-distance commuting tool. With rental sites only in Xinyi, it’s difficult for more residents to take advantage of the service,” she said.
In Greater Kaohsiung, which also launched its bike program in 2009, there are 49 rental sites around the city, with 800 bicycles available, she said, adding that the number of residents using it has reached 1,300 per day.
Department Commissioner Jason Lin (林志盈) said the department would set up 30 more rental stations by the end of this year around MRT stations in Gongguan, Nankang and Wanhua areas, and will have a total of 162 rental sites around MRT stations within the next three years.
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