The arrival times of buses in Taipei and New Taipei can be checked by calling a toll-free number.

▲ Calling now allows you to check bus arrival times. (Photo / Reporter You T-Ru)

Tourism Center / Comprehensive Report

Although almost everyone now has a smartphone and can access information via apps, there are still some members of the public who either lack internet access or do not own a smartphone. To meet the needs of these individuals for bus information, starting today, anyone can simply dial the toll-free hotline 0800-00-5284 (0800-00-I-love-bus) to easily obtain the arrival times of buses in Taipei and New Taipei.

Since 2012, both Taipei City and New Taipei City have been displaying bus arrival time information for Taipei and New Taipei bus routes on smart bus stops, and they have jointly established a voice inquiry system, providing a single inquiry hotline. This allows the public to call just once to check the arrival times of both Taipei City’s municipal buses and New Taipei City’s urban area buses. Starting today, anyone can simply dial the toll-free hotline 0800-00-5284 (0800-00-I-love-bus) to easily obtain the arrival times of buses in Taipei and New Taipei.

The Taipei City Department of Transportation stated that the voice inquiry system for bus arrival times in Taipei and New Taipei categorizes bus routes into three major groups based on their route numbers: “routes beginning with a number,” “MRT transfer routes,” and “other routes.” It also improves recognition accuracy by allowing users to input route numbers via keypad or station names via voice. In addition, for regular commuters who frequently take the same route from the same location, the system offers a “shortcut quick inquiry” function. After querying the arrival time, users can press the “*” key according to the voice prompts to hear a shortcut code. In the future, by simply dialing the voice hotline and entering “#shortcut code,” users can check arrival times even more quickly. The public is encouraged to make use of this service.