More than 500 YouBike 2.0 docks have already been installed and another 250 are expected by the end of the year, with the goal of gradually replacing the YouBike 1.0 system, the Taipei City Government said on Tuesday, adding that old bikes would be given to neighborhood offices or auctioned online.
The city officially launched the upgraded system in May after a successful initial trial in the Gongguan (公關) area that started in January.
The bikes are solar-powered and have a card sensor, removing the need for large electrified stations to enable easy deployment.
Photo: Tsai Szu-pei, Taipei Times
The city plans to install 750 bicycle docks by the end of the year on its way to achieving its eventual goal of 1,200 docks.
YouBike 2.0 is expected to entirely replace its predecessor, which is incompatible with the new system and has 400 stations with about 13,000 bicycles spread throughout the city.
Unlike YouBike 1.0, the upgraded docks hold one bicycle each.
At a city council hearing, Taipei Department of Transportation Commissioner Chen Shyue-tair (陳學台) said that the department is on track to achieving its year-end goal, with about 500 docks already installed.
Taipei and now also New Taipei City are requiring that at least five YouBike 2.0 docks be installed near every YouBike 1.0 station by the end of the year, he said.
All 400 YouBike 1.0 stations would be maintained until next year, when usage would be assessed to determine whether removal is appropriate, he said, adding that the process would take about a year.
As for what to do with the old bikes once the replacement is completed, Chen said they would first be offered to neighborhood offices.
There are currently about 10,000 original YouBikes in use, many of which are approaching their five-year limit, he said.
Third-party professionals would first be sought to assess the safety and condition of the bikes, Chen said, adding that those suitable for use would be offered to local offices for public use.
The surplus would be offered to public offices outside of the city government for purchase, he said.
Whatever is left at that point would then be put up for auction on the city government’s auction Web site, Shwoo (惜物網), Chen added.
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