Taipei and New Taipei City yesterday announced that a one-month “all-pass” ticket for unlimited public transportation rides is to launch on April 16.
For NT$1,280 (US$43.72), a pass holder could make unlimited use of Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) trains, buses and YouBikes in the two municipalities during the 30-day period.
Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) yesterday made the announcement at Daan Forest Park MRT station.
The public transportation infrastructure in Taipei is of good quality, Ko said, adding that he has taken the bus to work every day since October last year, but the city’s residents seem to be unimpressed, as the public transportation usage rate is only about 42 percent.
The usage rate in New Taipei City is 33 to 34 percent, “but we hope to raise the percentage to more than 40 percent in both cities,” Chu said, adding that they hope the pass would encourage more commuters to use public transit and help reduce air pollution.
The pass is the first in a series of policies aimed at improving traffic in Taipei, Ko said, adding that the next step is to rearrange bus routes.
Chu said the two municipalities would share a NT$940 million cost differential subsidy for the operation of the services provided by the pass.
The subsidy sharing ratio of 5.6-3.8 (Taipei City-New Taipei City) was calculated according to the passenger capacity of each city, Ko said, adding that he expects the New Taipei City Government’s percentage to gradually increase.
The pass goes on sale today and can be purchased with EasyCards, EasyCard-credit cards or EasyCard-debit cards at MRT stations.
CHANGES: After-school tutoring periods, extracurricular activities during vacations or after-school study periods must not be used to teach new material, the ministry said The Ministry of Education yesterday announced new rules that would ban giving tests to most elementary and junior-high school students during morning study and afternoon rest periods. The amendments to regulations governing public education at elementary schools and junior high schools are to be implemented on Aug. 1. The revised rules stipulate that schools are forbidden to use after-school tutoring periods, extracurricular activities during summer or winter vacation or after-school study periods to teach new course material. In addition, schools would be prohibited from giving tests or exams to students in grades one to eight during morning study and afternoon break periods, the
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
Advocates of the rights of motorcycle and scooter riders yesterday protested in front of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications in Taipei, making three demands. They were joined by 30 passenger vehicles, which surrounded the ministry to make three demands related to traffic regulations — that motorcycles and scooters above 250cc be allowed on highways, that all motorcycles and scooters be allowed on inside lanes, and that driver and rider training programs be reformed. The ministry said that it has no plans to allow motorcycles on national highways for the time being, and said that motorcycles would be allowed on the inner
AMENDMENT: Contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau must be reported, and failure to comply could result in a prison sentence, the proposal stated The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) yesterday voted against a proposed bill by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers that would require elected officials to seek approval before visiting China. DPP Legislator Puma Shen’s (沈伯洋) proposed amendments to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), stipulate that contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau should be reported, while failure to comply would be punishable by prison sentences of up to three years, alongside a fine of NT$10 million (US$309,041). Fifty-six voted with the TPP in opposition