Kaohsiung CityBike Adjusts Fees; Netizens Exclaim: Rental Fee Could Exceed NT$10,000 After 6 Hours!?

▲ Kaohsiung CityBike will adjust its rental fee structure starting from New Year’s Day 2015. (Photo / Reporter Chen Rui-zhong)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

Kaohsiung CityBike is adjusting its fee structure. According to an announcement on the Facebook page “Kaohsiung Public Bicycle Fans,” starting from New Year’s Day 2015, the first hour of riding remains free, but after that, the charge increases in increments of NT$10 every half-hour. That means from the second hour onward, the first 30 minutes cost NT$10, and then the fee goes up progressively by NT$20, NT$30, NT$40 for each additional half-hour. Some netizens did the math and exclaimed that after six continuous hours of use, the rental fee could surpass NT$10,000.

CityBike currently has 160 rental stations in Kaohsiung. The original fee model was free for the first hour, NT$10 for each 30 minutes after the second hour, or NT$20 when using a credit card. However, in order to balance public service with reasonable pricing and improve operational service quality, CityBike has decided to revise the fee structure: “The first hour remains free, and after that, regardless of whether you use an EasyCard or a credit card, the fees are as follows:NT$10 for the 60th to 90th minute, NT$20 for the 90th to 120th minute, NT$40 for the 120th to 150th minute, with the rate per half-hour multiplying progressively, and so on.””

Some netizens commented upon seeing the new fee structure, saying that while it's meant to prevent excessive long-term use, according to the new rates, the fee would exceed NT$10,000 after 6 hours, NT$160,000 after 8 hours, and NT$40 million after 12 hours. “If these rates go into effect, there will definitely be trouble!”

In response, the Facebook page stated that an upper limit will be set for the new fee rates, but the exact cap amount is still under discussion.

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