In a bid to alleviate rush-hour traffic in Neihu District (內湖), the Taipei Department of Transportation and Taiwan Taxi (台灣大車隊) are to jointly roll out a taxi carpooling service on Monday.
The service is aimed at reducing the number of people driving to work in Neihu, department Commissioner Chang Jer-yang (張哲揚) said, with about 27,000 vehicles clogging the road during the morning rush hour every day, of which 70 percent do not carry any passengers.
The service is to be implemented during two periods every day from Monday through Friday, Chang said.
People who want to use the service in the morning can wait at two designated carpooling areas outside Exit 3 of the MRT Taipei City Hall station between 7am and 9am, while those returning home from work can wait outside Exit 2 of the MRT Gangqian Station between 5pm and 7pm, he said.
The two-way carpooling route consists of eight stops between the two terminals, where drivers can drop passengers off, Chang said.
The eight stops are on Zhongxiao E Road sections 3, 4 and 5; Keelung Road; Zhengchi Bridge (正氣橋); Tiding Boulevard; Gangqian Road; and Neihu Road Sec 1.
Under a toll system devised by the department and Taiwan Taxi, the more passengers there are, the less it will cost each person.
The fare per person is set at NT$125 when there are only two passengers, NT$90 when there are three, NT$75 when there are four and NT$70 when there are five or six.
When asked about the relatively higher fare compared with hailing a taxi, Chang said the service’s aim is to promote carpooling, adding that residents can make appointments with their regular carpoolers to hail a taxi after using the service a few times, thereby saving on travel fees and helping ease traffic.
Chang said the service would complement the department’s free shuttle buses operating along two routes in Neihu and help alleviate traffic in the area.
Taiwan Taxi has allocated 200 taxis for the program, Chang said.
Taiwan Taxi Fleet Development Division chief manager Nicolas Hsu (許錦嘉) said the program is environmentally friendly as it would help cut carbon emissions, adding that he hoped it would serve as an example for future carpooling projects.
Asked how people would know where the taxi carpooling areas are to avoid people getting into the wrong car, Chang said that the department would consider erecting a multilingual sign next to these areas.
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