TPass customers can expect cash rebates to be credited on May 25, after a three-month delay caused by a stalled central government budget in the Legislative Yuan, Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) said today.
A total of NT$27.03 million (US$865,980) in accumulated rebates would be distributed once local governments submit applications for funding to the Highway Bureau, he told reporters before a hearing at the legislature’s Transportation Committee.
On March 6, the legislature passed a motion to mobilize NT$71.8 billion of the gridlocked budget for 38 projects, including funding for the TPass transport program.
Photo: Hung Jui-chin, Taipei Times
Bureau statistics showed that NT$8.54 million in reimbursements is owed to 79,098 customers for January, NT$6.85 million to 89,602 customers for February and NT$11.65 million to 91,905 customers for March.
Under the TPass program, travelers can purchase regional public transit passes for 30 days, loaded onto standard cards such as EasyCard, iPASS or icash.
The pass gives users unlimited rides on the MRT, Taiwan Railways, city and intercity buses, light rail and shared public bicycles within designated geographic zones.
Meanwhile, responding to a proposal by New Taipei City Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) mayoral candidate Lee Shu-chuan (李四川) to incorporate the high-speed rail (HSR) network into TPass using a surcharge system, Chen said that the two transit systems have different roles and functions.
The HSR is already crowded in terms of capacity and ridership, Chen said, adding that the ministry has not yet discussed the issue.
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