By / ScenicSpots.com Fresh compiled report
In 2019, Taipei MRT announced a new fare discount system for EasyCard in 2020, cancelling the 20% discount, which made many commuters feel their transportation expenses had increased. Taipei MRT Company then proposed a "the more you ride, the more you get back" marketing strategy to develop a new plan, where passengers commuting or traveling to school over 40 times a month can enjoy fares even better than the 20% discount.
On January 13, 2020, the Taipei MRT Board of Directors approved the frequent rider discount plan, which, after being submitted to the Taipei City Government for approval, is expected to be officially implemented starting February 1. The discount measures offer tiered cashback based on the number of monthly rides — "the more you ride, the more cashback you receive."
The maximum frequent rider cashback is equivalent to a 30% discount
Each card will receive cashback according to the number of rides accumulated in the previous month, with the highest cashback being 30%, equivalent to a 30% discount off the full fare — better than the original 20% discount (the 1280 public transport period ticket, senior citizen cards, care cards, child cards, and other legally discounted ticket types, as well as transfer discounts, will all maintain their original discount methods and amounts); additionally, for passengers who ride less frequently, four major electronic ticket providers — EasyCard, iPass, iCash, and Far Eastern E-Cash — will also offer relevant discount measures in the future, adding even more benefits for all MRT riders.
Ride counts accumulate from January, cashback given to passengers starting February 1
In response to the frequent rider discount measures taking effect on February 1, Taipei MRT began accumulating each electronic ticket’s usage counts and ride amounts (calculated based on full fare) starting in January, and after settling on February 1, determined the cashback ratio based on the number of rides under the new discount plan, automatically crediting the cashback via the system.
When EasyCard was first launched, Taipei MRT, in support of the city government’s “one-ticket-to-the-end” policy, began offering a 20% discount on all EasyCard fares starting September 15, 2002 (Year 91 in Taiwan). Beginning in 2015 (Year 104), following the Ministry of Transportation and Communications’ multi-card policy, which allowed other electronic tickets to be used on the MRT, a 20% discount was also extended to all users of those electronic tickets. As ridership increased, the annual discount amount also rose year by year, reaching a cumulative total of NT$42.4 billion by 2018 (Year 107).
In addition, the cumulative discount from using EasyCard for MRT-to-bus transfers reached over NT$17.1 billion by the end of 2018. Including both the 20% electronic ticket discount and the transfer discount, the total tangible benefit provided to passengers has reached NT$59.5 billion.
In response to the new EasyCard discount system, those who own multiple cards are advised to consolidate usage onto one card and develop the habit of using the same card regularly, so as to accumulate ride counts and receive the maximum possible cashback. Additionally, it is recommended to use registered cards to avoid losing benefits due to lost or damaged cards.