Taiwan Railways takes drastic measures: 20% cancellation fee for same-day refunds starting December

▲ Taiwan Railways' new refund policy takes effect in December. (Photo / Wikimedia Commons)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

To reduce the refund rate for passengers traveling on Taiwan Railways' reserved-seat trains, the railway authority announced an adjustment to the refund fee policy. The flat NT$13 fee will be replaced with a four-tiered fee structure, with the new system taking effect in mid-December.

Taiwan Railways Director-General Chu Yung-hui stated that the refund rate for reserved-seat trains stands at 15%, which is relatively high. Same-day refunds often result in tickets going unclaimed, so the fee adjustment aims to prevent resource wastage and encourage more planned ticket purchases. Additionally, regarding whether Taiwan Railways fares will also be adjusted, Minister of Transportation and Communications Yeh Kuang-shih said that due to the complexity of the fare system, fare changes are not easy to implement, and fares will remain unchanged for now.

Under the new refund fee structure, the fee is NT$10 if canceling between 13 and 12 days before the departure date; NT$20 between 11 and 3 days before; 10% of the ticket fare between 2 and 1 day before; and 20% of the fare if canceling on the day of travel. For example, a full-fare ticket on the Taipei to Kaohsiung Taroko Express costs NT$843, and a same-day refund would incur a NT$169 fee.