The Taipei MRT is to begin accepting mobile payment services in the fall, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said on Saturday.
When the company finishes the installation of new payment units at ticketing gates in October, MRT passengers can use credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay, the operator said.
In addition, the MRT would also provide QR payment codes — which would be compatible with Line Pay, Jkopay, iPass Money, PXPay Plus, EasyWallet, iCash Pay, Taiwan Pay and Taishin Pay — to access the railway system.
Photo: Lin Cheng-hung, Taipei Times
Currently, passengers can access the Taipei MRT by buying a single-journey token or using EasyCard, iPass or iCash cards.
Eventually, iPhone users would be able to use Apple Pay’s Express Mode function, which uses the device’s enhanced contactless polling feature, to pass through ticketing gates without unlocking their device, the company said, adding that the function is not available on mobile phones using the Android operating system.
Android phone users can use the “Tap to Ride” feature in EasyCard’s EasyWallet app, the company said.
Apple Inc last month said that it would launch a new near-field communication function in Taiwan.
EasyCard Corp said that it is evaluating the feasibility of working with Apple to provide the EasyWallet app on the Apple App Store.
As the credit tap area and QR code scan area are at waist level, passengers would need to bend down to tap their credit cards or access QR codes when passing through ticketing gates, Taipei City Councilor Ho Meng-hua (何孟樺) said.
In addition to upgrading the card-reading system, the MRT operator should conduct stress tests on multiple payment systems to accurately gauge the average time needed to pass through ticketing gates, Ho said.
“I would suggest the company change the location of the credit card tap and code scan areas. Otherwise, the company’s intention of allowing people to pay MRT fare with more methods would become a nightmare,” she said.
The Taipei Rapid Transit said that the new ticketing gates are designed to avoid interference from different payment systems.
It originally planned to complete the installation of 2,361 multi-payment units on 1,396 gates in all 117 Taipei MRT stations by March, but only 1,500 units have been installed so far, the company said.
The contractor has proposed plans to speed up the installation, which should be finished in October, it said.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
Greenpeace yesterday said that it is to appeal a decision last month by the Taipei High Administrative Court to dismiss its 2021 lawsuit against the Ministry of Economic Affairs over “loose” regulations governing major corporate electricity consumers. The climate-related lawsuit — the first of its kind in Taiwan — sought to require the government to enforce higher green energy thresholds on major corporations to reduce emissions in light of climate change and an uptick in extreme weather. The suit, filed by Greenpeace East Asia, the Environmental Jurists Association and four individual plaintiffs, was dismissed on May 8 following four years of litigation. The
The New Taipei City Government would assist relatives of those killed or injured in last month’s car-ramming incident in Sansia District (三峽) to secure compensation, Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said yesterday, two days after the driver died in a hospital. “The city government will do its best to help the relatives of the car crash incident seek compensation,” Hou said. The mayor also said that the city’s Legal Affairs, Education and Social Welfare departments have established a joint mechanism to “provide coordinated assistance” to victims and their families. Three people were killed and 12 injured when a car plowed into schoolchildren and their