Taiwan Railways plans to cancel 10% discount on round-trip tickets nationwide

▲ Taiwan Railways will completely cancel the 10% discount on round-trip tickets in the future. (Illustration / Source: Wikipedia)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

Following the Puyuma and Taroko Express trains, Taiwan Railways intends to eliminate the 10% discount on round-trip tickets for Tze-Chiang, Chu-Kuang, and local trains, with implementation as early as early 2016.

In the past, Taiwan Railways offered a 10% discount on round-trip tickets to encourage people to take the train, but this also led to various issues. For example, return tickets required seat reservation before boarding, yet many passengers often traveled with blank, unreserved tickets. Refund procedures also frequently caused disputes. According to Apple Daily, apart from considering a full cancellation of the 10% round-trip ticket discount, Taiwan Railways will also adopt the practice of the high-speed rail, requiring return trips to have designated schedules.

This plan is currently under evaluation and requires approval from the Ministry of Transportation and Communications. Once passed,starting as early as 2016, all types of Taiwan Railways trains will no longer offer the 10% discount on round-trip tickets, meaning all prices will be calculated based on the original single-journey fare.Taking the Tze-Chiang Express as an example, the one-way fare from Taipei to Kaohsiung is NT$843, and a round-trip ticket costs NT$1,518. After the discount is removed, the price will revert to the original NT$1,686.