1.MeN Go Monthly Pass/ TPASS
The MeN Go is Taiwan’s first integrated transport monthly pass. Besides integrating the fare payment of public transport including bus, KMRT, KCLR and ferry, it is an app that matches vehicle sharing to provide passengers with convenient transport services and a transport monthly pass at a great bargain.
“Kaohsiung 399 Unlimited Pass Plan , QR Code_Kaohsiung 399 Unlimited Pass Plan“ at NT$399: Valid for 30 days with unlimited distance and rides on MRT, LRT, City Bus, Highway Bus, Ferry(Passengers only), Taiwan Railway(7/1) and free rides for YouBike 2.0(E) members for the first 30 minutes while renting bikes in Kaohsiung City.
“TKP 999 Unlimited Pass Plan” at NT$999: Valid for 30 days with unlimited distance and rides on MRT, LRT, City Bus, Highway Bus, Ferry(Passengers only), Taiwan Railway and free rides for YouBike 2.0(E) members for the first 30 minutes while renting bikes in Kaohsiung , Tainan, and Pingtung City.
“Kaohsiung Bus Pass Plan, QR code_Kaohsiung Bus Pass Plan” at NT$199: Valid for 30 days with unlimited distance and rides on Kaohsiung City Buses. (8XXX 4-digits coded Original Highway Intercity Bus routes, express line, JOY, and Cultural Buses are NOT included.), and free rides for YouBike 2.0(E) members for the first 30 minutes while renting bikes in Kaohsiung City.
By the end of 2024, nearly 1.52 million MeNGo/TPASS passes have been sold for taking public transport for over 65.67 million times. MeN Go also won the “2019 Smart City-Innovative Application Award” and the “ITS Taiwan 2020 Intelligent Transportation Application Award” of the Intelligent Transportation Society of Taiwan, WITSA 2022 ICT Excellence Award, 2022 APEC silver award in the Smart Transport category, 2023 Go Smart Award, 2023 e Asia Award Gold Award, 2023 City of excellence in Environmental Protection category.
2.Bus Service Quality Control
Constantly perform the bus service quality evaluation and bus audit to maintain and improve bus service quality and enhance passenger satisfaction.
3.Various Creative Bus Marking Activities
Encourage passengers to experience bus services and develop the bus-taking habit, strengthen the promotion of various bus discounts and benefits and plan creative marketing activities, such as “Public Transport Daily for Rewards Weekly,” “Model Bus Driver Election and Citation,” “Let’s Talk About Bus,” and “Public Transport with Safety, Epidemic Control with Great Tea” to improve the overall image of buses and enhance citizen preference.
4.Accessible Transport
To improve bus service and build an accessible and friendly transport environment, by the end of the end of 2024, there are 716 low-floor buses providing services for the routes stopping by hospitals and special schools for persons with disabilities.
So far, Kaohsiung has 170 rehabilitation buses to provide persons with disabilities with more mobile and convenient transport services. The “medical easy pass” service was launched in collaboration eight large hospitals in Kaohsiung by 2024; With the “medical easy pass” service, citizens can save 30 minutes on average when taking the rehabilitation bus for appointments at outpatient clinics. In 2020, the service won the “Taiwan Healthy City & Senior-Friendly City Awards—Accessibility Award” with outstanding achievements.
5.Reduction of Traffic Accidents for Students with Taxi-Sharing
To provide students with a safe and comfortable transit environment, TBKC introduced the “Campus Carpool Service” in collaboration with colleges and universities in 2016. As the service has earned heated support and critical acclaim, TBKC introduced the regional campus service program in 2017 after optimization and extended the service to colleges and universities in the Nanzi District. Besides a safe, straightforward and money-saving solution, campus carpool can effectively reduce traffic accidents (cars and motorcycles) of college and university students. Due to the pandemic, the service occupancy dropped to 1,673 times each month. Service occupancy is expected to resume after the pandemic becomes less severe. By July 2021, about 520,800 persons have subscribed the service.
Upholding the concept of resources sharing, TBKC will continue to plan regional campus service networks to provide students with a “zero-accident and zero-distance” safe campus environment. TBKC has established the Taxi Sharing Rules with taxi companies. Taxi drivers violating these rules will be punished by law, and their permit will be either revoked or cancelled after 10 times of violation to maintain the service quality and safety of taxi sharing. TBKC also performs joint audits with the Kaohsiung City Police Department (KCPD) and Tourism Bureau to eliminate the operations of unpermitted taxis.
6.Expansion of universal (accessible) taxi service team and the scale of long-term care service
In 2013, Kaohsiung began to support the Public Transport Improvement Project of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) to encourage taxi fleets in Kaohsiung to apply for subsidy to purchase universal (accessible) taxis.
Starting from 2016, passengers can enjoy discounts when taking universal (accessible) taxis with the iPass Senior/Disabled card, including a discount of NT$36 from fares below NT$100, NT$54 from fares at NT$101-NT$200, and NT$72 from fares at NT$201 and up. This policy has enabled persons with disabilities to enjoy accessible outings and made hospital visits and travels more convenient.
By August 2021, ten taxi fleets with 309 taxis have joined the service. In the future, TBKC will continue to promote the universal taxi service and improve its service quality.
Currently, Kaohsiung’s universal taxi fleets also support the long-term care program of the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW), hoping to overcome the insufficiency of rehabilitation buses, resolve the rehabilitation bus recruitment problem and government maintenance and operation expenses in the future, assist with the accessible transport for recipients of long-term care service and pickup service for rural areas, and thrive taxi business operations to achieve win-win for all related parties.
In December 2018, Crown Taxi and Yes Taxi began to provide the service. In August 2019, a total of six taxi fleets with 161 taxis were in service, including Crown Taxi, Yes Taxi, Hello Car, KS Taxi, Metro Taxi, and Heyun Taxi. On May 1, 2021, the long-term service bus with 98 cars started service under the direction of the Department of Health. MOHW’s Long-Term Care 2.0 10-Year Plan has expanded the scope of recipients and services, with transport services as the focus. The universal taxi fleets in Kaohsiung will develop toward the long-term care model to provide comprehensive services for citizens with limited mobility in the city according to that plan to create Kaohsiung’s accessible transport environment.
7.Total Care for Taxi Drivers at Taxi Driver Care Station with Massage by Visually Impaired Masseurs
The taxi driver care station service started in 2019 in support of the Directorate General of Highway (DGH) of the MOTC has earned the heat support of taxi drivers. The station provides three free services, including legal consultation and aid service, financial and debt settlement consultation, and health screening, in the third week of each month. By August 2021, a total of 27 taxi drivers sought services from the station. To provide taxi drivers with more comprehensive services, massage by masseurs with visual impairment was added in February 2021. Besides relieving fatigue for taxi drivers to enhance work efficiency and improve service quality, this service can provide job opportunities for masseurs with visual impairment to create win-win for both sides.
8.Comprehensive Travel Services with Tourism Taxis
To improve the service quality of taxi drivers, TBKC established the tourism taxi fleet in February 2013. By 2021, TBKC has trained a total of 2,418 tourism taxi drivers. This service provides taxi drivers in Kaohsiung with education and training courses on foreign languages, service quality, law, finance, health and health preservation.
TBKC introduces the port-side tourism taxi service ahead of all cities in Taiwan and pioneers the tourism taxi dispatch service during cruise ship embarkment. Ten cross-island cruise ships are expected to embark at Kaohsiung since October. This will significantly increase the income of the taxi industry.
9.Tourism Taxi Service
To improve taxi service quality, TBKC actively promoted taxi diversification and introduced diversified taxis ahead of all cities in Taiwan on December 29, 2016. Currently, 13 taxi fleets have engaged in taxi diversification to facilitate 76% of taxi fleets to diversify operations.
The average income of diversified taxis is NT$170 each trip, which is 30% higher than ordinary taxis at NT$141 each trip (based the 2017 MOTC statistics). UBER taxis joined the service in November 2019 for diversified taxis to bring brand-new smart service for passengers. Currently, there are 1,699 diversified taxis in Kaohsiung. By May 2021, they have provided service for up to 256,089 trips.
10.Taxi Epidemic Control and Bailout Against SARS-CoV-2 (also COVID-19)
Epidemic control
On January 30, 2020, TBKC invited the taxi drivers’ union, taxi radio stations, and taxi fleets (associations) to establish the taxi platform LINE group of Kaohsiung to centrally broadcast epidemic information or publicity materials.
On April 3, 2020, taxi companies of Kaohsiung began to request drivers and passengers to wear masks at all times during the trip and taxi drivers to clean and disinfect places that may be touched by passengers each trip.
TBKC also performed unscheduled audits at locations with higher taxi demands (MRT stations and train stations) and strived for medical masks and alcohol from the MOTC for taxi drivers in Kaohsiung to purchase.
Subsidization of SARS-CoV-2 epidemic control supplies for transportation industry from Executive Yuan.
Basis: MOTC’s Directions for Subsidizing the Procurement of Epidemic Control Supplies of Transportation Industry During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic
Recipient: Applications can be made through taxi driver unions, taxi company associations, taxi transportation cooperatives, or taxi fleets.
Contents of subsidization: These Directions apply to taxis with licenses under control during May 1-30, 2021. The amount of subsidy shall be subject to the number of days of service. Subsidies will be granted according to the priority of application until the budget lasts or when the epidemic control level is lowered to the Level 1 or below. The amount of subsidy will be NT$15 each day, based on the number of days of service.
Status: It is expected that 9,000 taxis will be subsidized based on application by taxi owner categories. Currently, a total of 2,093 applications have been received from individual taxi drivers and members of taxi cooperatives and 312 taxi companies. Applications will be accepted continuously and subsidies will be granted by batches.
Epidemic Control Chartered Taxis
To fulfill the transport demand for those who need to go home after being tested PCR-negative by hospitals on their return to Taiwan or those on home quarantine (isolation) who need medical attention for non-respiration-related symptoms, the chartered taxi service began on March 5, 2020. Currently, there are 19 city taxis and 11 KHH airport taxis provided chartered services. By August 29, 2021, there are 30 chartered taxis providing related transport services.
To stimulate the vaccination intention of elderly people (aged over 70) living along, people with severe illness, persons with disabilities, seniors, and pregnant women and enhance the vaccination speed in response to the severity of SARS-CoV-2, the Kaohsiung City Government (KHCG) recruited 10 taxi fleets, rehabilitation bus and individual taxi drivers to provide free transport for vaccination. During June 15 and August 20, 2021, a total of 6,400 taxis/buses provided services for 17,654 times.
