Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said his government would soon discuss whether to continue subsidizing the capital’s popular bicycle rental system, which is expected to run out of funds in April or May. YouBike, which saw ridership surpass 30 million in October last year, might start charging riders for the first 30 minutes of each ride, which is currently free.
Under the fee system for members, using a bike costs nothing for the first half hour, NT$10 (US$0.31) per half-hour for the next three-and-a-half hours, NT$20 per half-hour for the next four hours and NT$40 per half-hour after that.
Despite high YouBike ridership, revenues have lagged because most riders return a bike within 30 minutes. The capital supports the system with a subsidy estimated to reach NT$150 million this year.
Besides the “user pays” formula, media outlets reported the previous day that Taipei City Department of Transportation Commissioner Chung Hui-yu (鍾慧諭) said there could be other options.
The department could request more funding or use funds from the budget of its Parking Management and Development office, she said.
The capital’s 6,406 YouBikes provide 70,000 rides per day in and around Taipei, officials said, adding that the public satisfaction rate for the program stands at more than 90 percent.
The municipal government has set a target of expanding the number of stations to 250 by the end of this year and 300 by the end of next year. There are 196 rental stations in and around Taipei.
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