The Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport Access MRT System yesterday welcomed its 10 millionth passenger, who was given a prize, Taoyuan Metro Corp said.
The passenger was Japanese Yuka Shimooka, who arrived at Taipei Main Station at 11:34am, the company said.
Shimooka, a professor at Hiroshima University, said she has visited Taiwan more than 20 times and that she came to Taipei this time to attend a seminar, for which she would stay in the city for three days.
Photo: CNA
On her previous visits, she took the airport shuttle bus to downtown Taipei, Shimooka said, adding that she rode the Airport MRT Line for the first time yesterday.
She was frightened when MRT personnel stopped her after she passed through a ticketing gate, Shimooka said, adding that they then told her that she was the 10 millionth passenger.
The company gave her Breeze Group gift vouchers worth NT$50,000 as well as various Airport MRT cards placed inside a frame as a souvenir.
The two passengers who preceded and followed Shimooka were each given Breeze Group gift vouchers worth NT$20,000, the company said.
The airport MRT system was launched in March and it has transported an average of 54,000 passengers per day as of last month, Taoyuan Metro Corp chairman Liu Kun-i (劉坤億) said.
The daily passenger volume rose to 57,000 this month because of the Taipei Summer Universiade, he said.
“The Athletes’ Village is close to Linkou Station [A9]. Athletes from around the world are taking the Airport MRT system to go to different venues, and many of the venues are close to Airport MRT stations. People who want to watch the Games would take the Airport MRT system to watch the Games as well,” Liu said, adding that he is confident about achieving the company’s goal of transporting 80,000 passengers per day.
From next month, the firm will offer a 20 percent discount to people buying 12 tickets at a time, which would benefit college students and commuters, Liu said.
Passengers can buy monthly tickets that allow them to access the Airport MRT Line multiple times.
People living along the line or working in offices near the route can buy group tickets with discounts of more than 50 percent.
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