The Kaohsiung MRT metropolitan railway system posted an operating loss of NT$100 million (US$3.51 million) last year, due to a sharp decline in ridership amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corp (KRTC) said yesterday.
After three years of profit, the city’s MRT was hit by a 26 percent drop in daily ridership, from an average of 178,000 in 2019 to 132,000 last year, said the KRTC, which manages the system.
The steep drop in ridership was caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and negatively affected the system’s operations, said Wang Po-yan (王柏雁), head of KRTC’s public relations division.
The MRT system became profitable from 2017 to 2019, and its employees received pay raises, after reporting years of operating losses since its launch in 2008 due to low passenger volumes.
Since the start of this year, the passenger volume has risen slightly to 135,000 per day, but a much higher volume would be required to begin making a profit again, Wang said.
To boost ridership, the KRTC is offering a 90-day unlimited pass for NT$3,000, until June, targeting mainly office workers and students who use the MRT frequently, he said.
Meanwhile, to help the MRT weather the effects of COVID-19, the Kaohsiung City Mass Rapid Transit Bureau has reduced the rent for the land being used by KRTC for the system.
Separately, the Kaohsiung City Transportation Bureau reported a drop of nearly 20 percent in ridership on city buses due to the COVID-19 pandemic, saying that people are not going out much and are using their own vehicles when they do.
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