The Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) will offer a “frequent rider” program from March 30, allowing member customers to accumulate mileage on the railway. Memberships can exchange points for tickets, or be given priority when it comes to ticket refunds.
Taiwan Railway spokesman Chang Ying-hui (張應輝) said that once the membership system is up and running, Taiwanese nationals could register at www.railway.gov.tw/.
According to the TRA, one point is awarded for every 80km, or every NT$30. For example, a round-trip journey between Taipei and Kaohsiung would accumulate 50 points, while a round-trip journey between Taipei and Taichung would accumulate 22 points.
Customers can exchange 500 points for a ticket that covers a travel distance of 100km or less with a face value within NT$227. For 750 points, they can get a ticket covering travel distances within 200km. Customers can exchange the maximum 4,000 points for a three-day TR-PASS, valued at NT$1,800.
According to Chang, points are valid for two years from the date of accumulation and membership status may be shared with family and friends.
Meanwhile, in response to Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lai Kun-cheng’s (賴坤成) criticism that travelers on the Hualien-Taitung line pay high prices for tickets yet sit in -decades-old cars that aren’t even electrified, Minister of Transportation and Communications Mao Chi-kuo (毛治國) promised to tackle the issue within three months.
In other news, beginning on April 1, all of the nation’s senior citizens and physically challenged individuals will be granted a 50 percent discount on mass rapid transit (MRT) fares in Taipei and Greater Kaohsiung, the Consumer Protection Commission (CPC) said.
The benefit was previously limited only to residents of the two special municipalities who are over age 65 or are physically challenged, but will now be offered to visitors from outside the two cities, CPC official Liu Chin-fang (劉清芳) said.
The new measure was initiated after authorities convinced local governments outside of Taipei and Kaohsiung to bear the costs of the discounted fares rather than having the MRT operators in the two cities absorb the losses in revenue, the CPC said.
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