Taoyuan to set up "public bicycle system" with 50 stations to be completed by year-end

▲ Taoyuan City will also establish a public bicycle system. (Illustration / Sourced from the YouBike Taipei Public Bicycle fan page)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

Public bicycle systems are becoming increasingly common, and now Taoyuan City is joining the trend. The Taoyuan City Department of Transportation announced that it will establish a public bicycle system in the urban area, tentatively named "WeBike." It is expected to complete the setup of 50 rental stations this year, and the tender has already been opened.

Xiong Qizhong, head of the Traffic Engineering Division of the Taoyuan City Department of Transportation, said that the city’s public bicycle system plans to complete 50 rental stations and provide 1,200 bicycles by the end of the year. Initially, the system will focus on key locations such as Minzu Park, the Performance Center, and the Sanmin Sports Center along the Nankan River, as well as Zhongli Railway Station, the SOGO shopping district, and the Airport MRT A17 and A18 stations along the Laotie River.

Xiong pointed out that the Taoyuan public bicycle system will adopt a multi-card compatibility system, allowing users to rent bikes with either an EasyCard or an iPass. The initial planned charging method is: the first 30 minutes free, then NT$10 for every subsequent 30 minutes, and NT$20 for every 30 minutes from the second to the fourth hour. However, the exact pricing details still need to be confirmed by the winning bidder before being officially announced.