Carrying out the exclusive bus lane policy on Taiwan Boulevard. Currently, 11 bus routes from bus No. 300 to 310 run on exclusive bus lanes. In the future, TCRT will continue to promote the stability of bus routes and headway running on exclusive bus lanes and activate the currently ceased systems and functions due to exclusive bus lane optimization in order to enhance bus service quality and create a win-win scenario for road occupants and bus passengers.
10 KM Free Bus Ride and Transit Discounts
By subsidizing citizens who take city buses with e-tickets, TCRT encourages people to take mass transportation more frequently.
The Construction, Installation, and Maintenance of Bus Shelters and Bus Waiting Seats
According to legal regulations, bus shelters “should be installed on sidewalks or by the outer rim of road shoulders and cannot be installed on curve sections”. Also, the depth of bus shelters should not be fewer than 1.5 meters in principle, while maintaining at least 1.5 meters of barrier-free space on sidewalks to ensure the rights of pedestrians. It is appropriate for bus shelters to be located on communal lands. In principal, bus waiting seats should be installed on sidewalks or off-road spaces with ample room, should be located on communal lands, and should not affect the entrance and exit of rear land users. TCRT will continue to examine the sidewalks of Taichung City to install bus shelters and bus waiting seats in appropriate locations in order to enhance the bus service quality and bus-waiting environment of Taichung City.
Bus Stop Installment and Maintenance
According to article 6, paragraph 3 of the “Autonomous Act on the Management of Taichung City Vehicle and Bus Carrier Industry”, urban bus stops should be installed and maintained by bus carriers. Therefore, according to the aforementioned paragraph, the installment and maintenance of Taichung City bus stops are funded by city bus carriers and implemented as a whole by the “Joint Management Committee of Taichung Buses” (composed of all city bus carriers). TCRT acts as a supervisor.
Maintenance of Dynamic Bus Information System
The Dynamic Bus Information System was launched in 2004, which mainly provides citizens with a website to look up bus arrival time information and enables them to look up real-time dynamic bus information through the iTravel Taichung APP and telephone, to enhance the citizens’ willingness to take buses.
Shuttle Bus for Large Events
Provides shuttle bus service for large events held by Taichung City Government. Coordinates with Taichung City Government in providing emergency evacuation and transportation during natural disasters.
Service Appraisal on Vehicle and Bus Carriers
Appraisal on the service quality of Taichung City bus carriers is carried out annually to understand their performances from an objective perspective. Results of the appraisals will be included as one of the standards in calculating the subsidies for their losses and will also serve as a reference to spur their improvement.
Subsidy to Carriers for Purchasing Vehicles
In accordance with the public transportation enhancement project of the MOTC Directorate General of Highways or matching grants of Taichung City, TCRT subsidizes Taichung City bus carriers in purchasing brand new vehicles to put into service in order to reduce their vehicle purchasing cost, encourage them to recapitalize business vehicles, and enhance the overall service quality of Taichung City buses.
Subsidy on Public Transportation Losses
By subsidizing bus carriers to provide services in remote regions and service routes in order to enhance the proportion of mass transportation passengers, TCRT demands that bus carriers use subsidies appropriately to aggressively recapitalize their vehicles and install facilities such as on-vehicle information services and e-ticket readers, so that the citizens’ image of public transportation can be improved.
Auditing and Monitoring of Vehicle and Bus Carriers & Statistical Analysis on Car Accidents
According to the Regulations for Automobile Transportation Operators and other related legal regulations, TCRT carries out auditing and monitoring operations on city bus service quality, vehicle age, dynamic profiles of drivers and employees, and volunteer inspections. TCRT has also stipulated a reporting SOP for city bus accidents, demanding bus carriers to file reports to TCRT through the reporting platform within a limited time according to the type of the accident, so that TCRT can have a better understanding of city bus accidents.
Development and Business Recruitment on Lands Around MRT Lands
In order to effectively utilize land resources and promote regional development, TCRT organizes the land development of lands alongside MRT routes, stations, sites and its adjacent areas. After the development is complete, developed land will be distributed in proportion according to the land value of the original land owner, amount of investment, and bonus space proportion invested by the government.
MRT Blue Line (planning)
The comprehensive planning operation of the MRT Blue Line started on Mar. 14, 2019. The total length of the planned route is 25.2 KM. It will embark from Taichung Port and connect with Shalu Train Station, Taichung City Government Hall, and Taichung Train Station along Taiwan Avenue, and eventually head eastward to the Taiwan Sugar Corporation Biological Park. There will be a total of 19 stations, including 7 elevated stations and 12 underground stations, and 1 depot.
MRT Wurih-Wunsin-Beitun Line
Total length of the route is 16.7 KM. It starts from Songzhu Road No. 2 Bridge and runs to THSR Taichung Station, including 18 stations. It received its operation permit from the MOTC on Nov. 6, 2020. Service trials will be conducted from Mar. 25 to Apr. 23, 2021 and will be officially put into service on Apr. 25, 2021.
Elevation and Rapid Transitization of TRA Railways
The total length of the route is 21.7 KM. It starts 1.5 KM north of Fengyuan Train Station and stretches 1.4 KM south of Daqing Train Station. It will elevate the current railway and stations while adding another 5 commuter stations. This route will be put into service in 2 stages according to the timetable of the Railway Reconstruction Bureau. In the first stage, the current train stations of Fengyuan, Tanzi, Taiyuan, Taichung, and Daqing will be reconstructed into elevated stations. In the second stage, which was completed on October 2018, 5 elevated commuter stations of Lilin, Toujiacuo, Songzhu, Jingwu, and Wuquan were put into service. Passengers can transit to the MRT Green Line Songzhu Station (G4) and Daqing Station (G13) at Songzhu Train Station and Daqing Train Station. As for the old building of Taichung Train Station, it was preserved at its original location as a historical site. The station is now utilized as a Transportation Square, parking lot, transit terminal, green land, and other public facilities. This project was due on June 2020.