COST OF LIVING/Taiwan Railway Corp. to introduce new fare scheme on Aug. 1

Taipei, July 17 (CNA) Taiwan Railway Corp. said Wednesday that a plan to reward frequent travelers with discounts of up to 20 percent will come into effect on Aug. 1.

According to the state-owned company, travelers using smart cards such as EasyCard, iPASS, and iCash will receive discounts based on their monthly usage.

Passengers who ride the railroad 41 times or more in a calendar month will receive a 20 percent discount on their total ticket fare, with the reward being tallied automatically to their smart cards the following month, it said in a statement.

Those who take the trains between 21-40 times per month will be eligible for a 15 percent discount, while a discount of 10 percent will be offered for 11-20 journeys per month, the corporation said.

However, the current universal 10 percent discount for passengers who paid for rides with electronic stored-value cards will be eliminated starting Aug. 20 in favor of the new fare system.

In addition, the company said, it will introduce 30-day and 60-day season passes for unlimited travel between two stations.

For the 30-day pass, the price will be 40 percent less than 30 full-fare return tickets.

For the 60-day pass, the price will be 44 percent less than 60 full-fare return tickets.

Meanwhile, the company said it will release two commemorative cards on Aug. 1 (pre-sale on July 29) and Oct. 1 for 30-day or 60-day pass buyers.

Such passengers can choose the special cards among EasyCard, iPASS, or iCash formats, with 5,000 cards available for each type on a first-come, first-served basis, according to the company.