The Taipei City Government and city bus companies will increase the number of buses operating and will enhance monitoring to ensure smooth traffic flow during the Lunar New Year holiday, Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) said yesterday while inspecting the traffic around Taipei City Hall Bus Station.
The station, a major transit hub between Taipei and northern and central Taiwan on the intersection of Keelung Road and Zhongxiao E Road, was crowded with passengers planning to return home for the holidays yesterday afternoon.
Home-bound traffic will peak between 9am and 2pm today, with more than 1,200 buses coming in and out of the station, said Huang Ju-miao (黃如妙), a division chief at Taipei City’s Department of Transportation.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
Meanwhile, the traffic flow in the Taipei Bus Transfer Center near the Taipei Railway Station will see about 3,000 buses, she said.
Aside from increasing the number of buses operating, the city government and bus companies are coordinating to set up temporary drop-off points outside the station to facilitate traffic.
“This is the second Lunar New Year holiday since the city hall bus station was launched, and we have enough experience to ensure smooth traffic and help every passenger return home safe and happy,” Hau said.
Capital Bus Co general manager Lee Chien-wen (李建文) said the company would shorten the intervals for buses to 3 minutes and limit the wait-time to 20 minutes or less.
The station offers shorter-distance commute service between Taipei and Keelung, Yilan, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Miaoli and Greater Taichung, with more than 1,700 buses from 14 bus companies traveling daily in and out of the station.
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