Children aged between six and 12 who are registered as Taipei residents are from today to get a 40 percent discount on the city’s Mass Rapid Transport (MRT) system, the Taipei Social Welfare Department said.
The discount is automatic and people will not need to apply for new EasyCards, Commissioner Hsu Li-ming (許立民) told a news conference yesterday.
The policy is to benefit 150,000 children in Taipei, he said.
Although the Taipei and New Taipei City governments said they would roll out a common policy to reduce MRT fares for children, Taipei has decided to go ahead without the New Taipei City government.
In pursuance of the Protection of Children and Youths Welfare and Rights Act (兒童及少年福利與權益保障法), the Taiwan Railways Administration and Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) both offer preferential pricing for children under 12.
However, many municipal MRT authorities, including Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC), have been slow to comply.
The department last year budgeted NT$110 million (US$3.78 million at the current exchange rate) to subsidize MRT fares for children.
The Taipei City Council recently approved the item and passed a resolution requesting Taipei and New Taipei City arrange a common policy for cheaper public transportation that would benefit children in the region.
The resolution also stated that in the event that the policy could not be agreed upon in time, Taipei could implement the discount first.
At the time, the municipal governments agreed to unveil the common policy tomorrow, but the New Taipei City Government later accused TRTC of dragging its feet, causing contractors to drop out of a bid for the manufacturing of EasyCards for children in New Taipei City, sources said.
Furthermore, the New Taipei City Government was dissatisfied with Taipei’s adherence to its project timetable without regard for the difficulties its partner was experiencing, sources said.
When asked whether TRTC intentionally delayed the project, Hsu said he had no knowledge of any obstruction.
“It is our understanding that the card company wanted a strict authentication system [for New Taipei City] and TRTC would need a lot of time to tune their system. New Taipei City really should work things out with TRTC. Taipei needs to take care of its citizens and follow the law,” he said.
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