Is this a rip-off? Visitors with disabilities to the Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum forced to pay an extra NT$25 for shuttle bus

▲National Palace Museum Southern Branch. (Photo / Provided by the National Palace Museum Southern Branch)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

Many exhibition venues and shopping malls arrange free shuttle buses to help visitors reach the site from distant parking lots. However, Huang Zizhe, the chief of staff for Kuomintang Legislator Yang Chen-yu,Huang Zizheposted on Facebook pointing out that the parking lot at the Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum is over 10 minutes' walk from the exhibition halls, and people with disabilities are compelled to take a shuttle bus that charges NT$50 (NT$25 for people with disabilities) for a three- to five-minute ride. Huang questioned, “Is this the attitude and approach a national museum should have toward disadvantaged people with physical and mental disabilities?”

In the post titled “National Palace Museum Southern Branch, Don’t Be So Off-Putting,” Huang said he visited the Southern Branch in Chiayi last week and found that visitors who drive to the museum cannot drop off directly next to the main exhibition hall. Vehicles or passengers can only park in a specially designated parking lot about 10 minutes’ walk from the exhibition halls, and from there, they can either walk for 10 minutes or take a shuttle bus provided by the museum. While able-bodied visitors can choose freely between walking or paying for the ride, those with disabilities, who often have mobility issues, are not allowed to park directly outside the exhibition hall. They are thus “forced” to take the museum’s “paid” shuttle bus.

▲Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum shuttle bus fare chart. (Photo / Screenshot from Huang Zizhe's Facebook)

Huang stated that while maintaining air quality and spatial order around the museum may justify such arrangements, the sign clearly indicates that people with disabilities are charged NT$25. He directly asked, “Price gouging, National Palace Museum?” He pointed out that Chimei Museum in Tainan also restricts visitor vehicles to a parking lot some distance away from the exhibition halls, but Chimei thoughtfully provides “free” shuttle services for people with disabilities. In contrast, the unfriendliness, lack of consideration, and even lack of civility shown by the National Palace Museum Southern Branch toward people with disabilities becomes all too apparent.

In response, the Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum stated that the accessible shuttle bus operates on an on-call basis, and the single-use fare for people with disabilities is NT$25. However,since the venue is operated under a BOT model, there are operational cost considerations.They will also further review and communicate with the service provider in the future.