Monthly rebates for frequent travel on the Taipei MRT are to be reduced from 10 to 30 percent to 5 to 15 percent from next month, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said today in a news release.
The cashback would be reduced by up to NT$2 per return trip for commuters who take more than 50 rides per month, it said.
Senior and concession EasyCards, including children and the disabled, and the NT$1,200 monthly TPASS would not be affected, it added.
Photo: Tsai Ssu-pei, Taipei Times
Under the financial pressures of rising electricity fees, increased wages and the national minimum wage increase, Taipei Metro is expected to report a net loss for the first time this year, the company said.
Instead of increasing ticket prices, the frequent passenger program has been readjusted to cover expenses, it said.
Under the changes to go into effect on March 1, passengers would receive a 5 percent cashback after 11 to 20 rides in a single month, 10 percent after 21 to 40 rides and 15 percent for more than 40 rides, which would be credited to their transit cards on the first day of the following month, it said.
For passengers whose monthly transportation costs exceed NT$1,200, Taipei Metro recommended purchasing a TPASS card, which offers unlimited rides for 30 days within Taipei, New Taipei City, Keelung and Taoyuan.
TPASS includes rides on the MRT, Taiwan Railways, intercity and city buses and light rails, as well as YouBike rentals.
A NT$39 receipt for two bottles of tea at a FamilyMart was among the NT$10 million (US $312,969) special prize winners in the January-February uniform invoice lottery. FamilyMart said that two NT$10 million-winning receipts were issued at its stores, as well as two NT$2 million grand prizes and three NT$200,000 first prizes. The two NT$10 million receipts were issued at stores in Pingtung County and Yilan County’s Dongshan Township (冬山). One winner spent just NT$39 on two bottles of tea, while another spent NT$80 on water, tea and coffee, the company said. Meanwhile, 7-Eleven reported three NT$10 million winners — in New Taipei
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are