Starting a business because high-speed rail tickets are too expensive: A post-90s team builds a website to group-buy tickets at 65% off

Reported by You T-Ru / Taipei

Starting a business just to buy cheaper high-speed rail tickets? A group of Taiwanese post-90s, who frequently travel between Taipei and Kaohsiung, found the high-speed rail fares too expensive, so they launched a ticketing website offering group purchases and transfers of early-bird tickets. The cheapest deals can get you tickets at up to 65% off across various regions, becoming a huge boon for many business travelers.

The post-90s entrepreneurial website "Late Bird Tickets" originated from the idea of its founder, Vicky. Growing up in Taipei, she often had to travel between Taipei and Kaohsiung for work. "I always hoped for a cheaper and more convenient mode of transport, but high-speed rail ticket prices were just too expensive for me." Although booking 8 to 28 days in advance grants access to early-bird ticket discounts, popular time slots sell out instantly, and booking too far ahead feels uncertain—an inconvenience for Vicky.


▲ The Late Bird Tickets team currently has five members, with founder Vicky as the third from the left and Eddie as the first from the right. (Photo provided by Late Bird Tickets)

To save money for themselves while also helping others get cheaper tickets, Vicky and her partner Eddie teamed up with friends to start the business. They began conceptualizing the idea in January of the previous year (2013) and officially launched the site in September. This "Late Bird Tickets" website, which focuses on group purchases and transfers of high-speed rail tickets, now has over 10,000 members. Initially, the site only offered transfer services, but after accumulating more members, a group-buying section was added. "Many people were worried about potential fraud when transferring money for group purchases, so we initiated the process ourselves, helping with purchasing and delivery." Group buys are regularly opened every Friday and Sunday, making it convenient for both southbound and northbound travelers to purchase discounted high-speed rail tickets at up to 65% off.

The design of "Late Bird Tickets" is quite simple. The reporter tested the ticket purchasing process. The website features only three options: high-speed rail group buys, early-bird ticket transfers, and customer service contact. Once you become a member, you can purchase tickets. After confirming a purchase, the website generates a unique transfer number, and there’s no need to notify Late Bird Tickets after transferring money—the ticket will be sent directly. If the desired time slot isn’t available on the site, users can also use the “Notify Me When Tickets Are Available” subscription feature. As soon as someone transfers or opens a group buy, the system immediately sends an SMS and email notification—very convenient.


▲ The "Notify Me When Tickets Are Available" feature on the website makes tracking desired high-speed rail ticket times very convenient. (Photo provided by Late Bird Tickets)

Since its launch in September last year, Vicky and her partners have frequently received thank-you letters from users. "Some write to our customer service to thank us for helping them save money." The creation of the Late Bird Tickets website seems to be an extension of modern urban dwellers' pursuit of fast and convenient commuting services. "There are many returning users—at least 200 people subscribe to track ticket purchases daily." In terms of website usability, Late Bird Tickets doesn’t require early purchases but still allows users to enjoy early-bird prices and discount benefits, which is quite a good deal.

"The company has grown from zero, and we’re constantly improving our technology, which requires more opportunities for collaboration," Vicky said frankly. Although the design of the "Late Bird Tickets" website is simple, it has been continuously refined based on observing user needs—and this is just the beginning. Since the site only charges a small service fee for ticket purchases, the company is still operating at a loss. In the future, they hope to expand to other types of tickets, such as concerts and events, to stabilize the ticketing platform and explore even more options.