The Taipei Department of Transportation discouraged YouBike 2.0E users from taking them on long-distance trips after a Taipei city councilor said that riders often use the new electric bike, YouBike 2.0E, to climb Yangmingshan (陽明山).
Taipei earlier this year began offering the first 30 minutes of YouBike 2.0 rentals for free, with Taipei and New Taipei offering the YouBike 2.0E on Aug. 30 to encourage rider usage.
For YouBike 2.0, the rate is NT$10 per 30 minutes within the first four hours, NT$20 per 30 minutes for five to eight hours and NT$40 per 30 minutes after eight hours.
Photo: Tung Kuan-yi, Taipei Times
Meanwhile, for e-bikes, the rate is NT$20 per 30 minutes for the first two hours and NT$40 per 30 minutes thereafter.
Some riders have ridden the e-bikes more than 70km or used them for mountain climbing, taking up valuable resources meant for commuters, Taipei City Councilor Lee Ming-hsien (李明賢) said.
Lee said that he has seen social media photos and videos of people claiming they had taken the e-bikes as far away as the Wuling (武嶺) mountain pass, raising concerns over whether the bikes are meant for commuting or recreational use, and how long-distance riding could increase wear and tear on the bikes.
Lee added he found that 92.81 and 86.21 percent of YouBike 2.0 and YouBike 2.0E users respectively rent the bikes for less than half an hour on weekdays, while the proportion of longer trips increases over weekends.
This suggests that while the majority of riders on weekdays are using the bikes for commuting, the bikes are more likely to be used for recreational or inter-city trips on weekends, he said.
The five longest rental times all exceed seven hours, often involving rides from Taipei to Hsinchu, he said.
In response, Taipei Department of Transportation Director Hsieh Ming-hung (謝銘鴻) yesterday said that the primary use of the bikes is for commuting, but there is no way to strictly prohibit longer, recreational trips at the weekend.
The YouBike 2.0E is designed to be more comfortable for riders such as older people or those who live in hilly areas, Hsieh said.
Those with long-term riding needs can consider alternative e-bikes, as YouBikes are a public resource that need a high turnover to function properly, Hsieh added.
The department plans to increase the number of YouBike 2.0Es to 4,500 by 2026, he said.
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