Great success！Kaohsiung’s iPASS free bus rides to be extended through year-end

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

Kaohsiung’s plan allowing iPASS cardholders to ride city buses for free saw a 27% increase in bus ridership in the first quarter of this year (2014) compared to the same period last year. Today (12th), Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu announced that the free bus service will continue until the end of the year. She also stated that the city has received approximately NT$160 million in central government subsidies and is now striving to further boost bus ridership in order to secure additional central funding. Citizens are encouraged to use public transportation actively and support the green city initiative.


▲Kaohsiung’s plan allowing iPASS cardholders to ride city buses for free will be extended through the end of the year. (Photo / Provided by Kaohsiung City Government)
Chen Chu said that Kaohsiung is actively promoting a convenient and extensive public transportation system. Not only has the city restructured its grid-like bus network and increased bus service frequency, but it has also implemented a range of people-friendly and innovative measures such as free city bus rides and the “Bus Mobile City Light Corridor.” Since launching the “Bus Ridership Leap Plan” last November, bus ridership has significantly increased, with a 27% rise in the first three months of this year compared to the same period last year, receiving strong public support.

The number of bus routes has increased from 124 to 161, trunk bus lines have grown from 12 to 15, and the number of private bus operators has risen to seven. The city also plans to introduce two new express bus services: the “Harvard Sightseeing Express Bus” and the “Yanchao Campus Express Bus.” These two routes are scheduled to begin operation soon and before the start of the school term, respectively, providing convenient transit for Fo Guang Shan visitors and improving transportation services for the Yanchao school district.

Chen Chu also noted that to create a safer and more friendly transportation environment, the city government is not only implementing a road safety foundation program for schoolchildren, but also purchasing low-floor buses to enhance service quality. Measures to improve women’s nighttime travel safety have been introduced, including installing lighting at bus shelters. The city is also actively integrating low-carbon transport options, sea-and-land sightseeing package deals, and convenient fare systems to provide comprehensive, frequent, and accessible public transportation services, thereby encouraging greater usage among tourists and residents.