Project Overview
With rapid population growth and high industrial output, Taoyuan City faces an urgent need to implement green transportation in response to escalating climate change. Targeting the development of a low-carbon, green city, Taoyuan City is committed to promoting green transportation based on three core concepts: “public transit,” “shared mobility,” and “smart transportation.” The city is gradually strengthening public transportation services (including Happy Bus services and TPASS), while promoting shared mobility options (public bicycles, shared cars, and motorcycles) in conjunction with public transit and various transportation nodes to effectively shift usage away from private vehicles. Additionally, the city is implementing smart charging station and AI traffic signal control projects to enhance the convenience of green vehicles and improve traffic flow efficiency. These initiatives aim to increase public acceptance and transportation effectiveness, accelerating the achievement of the vision for a carbon-reduced, low-pollution, and convenient green city.
Implementation Benefits
(1) Public Bicycle System
- The city has currently activated 417 stations and deployed 8,345 YouBike 1.0 and 3,200 YouBike 2.0 public bicycles for service, providing convenient green transportation options to both urban and rural areas, maintaining high monthly usage of 1-1.2 million rides.
- Since its promotion in 2016, and with the extension of free riding time to the first 60 minutes starting April 1, 2023, the proportion of users riding between 30-60 minutes has increased by approximately 2% as of December 2023.
- Since 2018, the city has continuously promoted free accident insurance coverage for YouBike riders. Through various promotional channels for insurance coverage, the overall member insurance enrollment rate has increased from 37% to 68%.
(2) Shared Cars and Scooters
- The city currently collaborates with two operators to provide rental services for 2,000 shared scooters and 200 shared cars within Taoyuan City.
- Gogoro Network (GoShare): Started providing shared electric scooter services from August 29, 2019, and currently operates 1,000 shared electric scooters for rental.
- iRent Mobility Service Co., Ltd. began providing shared electric scooter services from February 1, 2020, and shared car services from March 1, 2020. They currently operate 1,000 shared electric scooters and 200 shared cars for rental.
- As of December 2023, the total number of shared vehicle rentals has exceeded 6.13 million, with a total distance traveled of over 67.35 million kilometers.
(3) TPASS (Executive Yuan Commuter Monthly Pass) – Taipei+New Taipei+Taoyuan+Keelung Joint Public Transport Pass
Since its launch on July 1, 2023, over 3.58 million TPASS have been issued. Excluding renewals of expired passes, there are still nearly 510,000 active passes each month, exceeding the 2023 target of 500,000 passes.
Statistics show daily transaction amounts reaching approximately NT$51.7 million. Calculating savings of NT$1,200 per person in commuting costs, commuters save over NT$600 million each month, significantly reducing their transportation burden. With a single pass, users can freely use public transportation across all four cities, eliminating the hassle of purchasing separate tickets.
The monthly pass has also boosted Taoyuan Metro ridership, with average daily ridership reaching 92,000 passengers in 2023, an 18.7% increase compared to pre-pandemic levels (76,000 passengers in 2019). Notably, the Taoyuan Airport MRT line has exceeded 100,000 daily passengers thanks to the monthly pass, setting a new record since its 2017 launch. Passengers using the TPASS account for 27-28% of total ridership. In response, Taoyuan Metro Corporation has increased express train services since August, reducing intervals to 15 minutes.
(4) Happy Bus Service
Taoyuan City’s Happy Bus service currently operates 7 routes serving residents in the Fuxing District. Since its launch, the service has achieved the following results and impacts:
- In 2023, Happy Bus ridership reached 44,116 passengers, averaging 120 passengers daily, representing a 15.42% increase compared to the original Fuxing District bus route ridership in 2022.
- To support tribal community commuting and education needs, schools can reserve Happy Bus services as school buses, while also providing tribal residents with transportation services to and from their communities.
- To meet seniors’ daily transportation needs, Taoyuan City’s Happy Bus service provides transportation for elderly residents at the Changxing Tribal Cultural Health Station and Xikoutai Tribal Cultural Health Station, helping them travel to health clinics, Fuxing Station for medical appointments, and shopping needs.