Taipei, New Taipei to standardize bus fare payment from July 1

Taipei, June 13 (CNA) Bus passengers in Taipei and New Taipei will be required to swipe their smart cards on entry and exit, with effect from July 1, as the two cities are moving to regularize the payment system, according to the Taipei Public Transportation Office.

The new procedure will help to avoid confusion about when the smart card should be swiped and will provide more precise travel data for city authorities who plan bus routes, the office said last week.

The current system of payment is not standardized in the two cities, as passengers are sometimes required to pay on boarding, sometimes on alighting, and both times on some routes.

The new system will be implemented in two phases, which will allow passengers to get used to the change, the office said.

In the first phase, from July 1 to January next year, passengers who comply with the new regulation by swiping their cards on entry and exit will gain a chance on each trip to win a prize in a lottery, the office said.

On an average bus trip, the standard fare of NT$15 (US$0.5) will be deducted when the passenger swipes on boarding, and no additional amount will be charged on alighting, the office said.

On longer segmented routes, the additional amount will be deducted when the passenger swipes on alighting, the office said.

In the second phase of the new regulation, which will start Feb. 1, 2020, passengers who fail to comply will not be eligible for the discount rates when they transfer within an hour to another bus, the Taipei MRT system, or a YouBike, the transportation office said.

There will be no other penalty, however, for not swiping on alighting, the office said.