All Pass Ticket Sales Fail to Meet Expectations|雙北"吃到飽"月票 售出12.3萬張

If you are looking to save some money, here might be a way. Taipei and New Taipei's new monthly bus and MRT "All Pass Ticket" recently went on sale. However, actual sales were only about half of the expected sales of 230,000 tickets. Authorities attributed the disappointing sales to many people still trying to figure out if it's worth a buy. It says it will keep promoting the ticket.


Mr. Lin commutes from his home in Tamsui to his office in Banqiao every day. He is thinking about getting the All Pass Ticket.

I've done the math. I'll probably get it because I live in Tamsui and I work in Banqiao.

The NT$1,280 monthly ticket provides unlimited MRT and bus rides and 30 free minutes for YouBike rentals. The Taipei City Department of Transportation says the ticket is worth it for anyone that spends over NT$42 per day on transportation. Tickets can only be topped up at MRT stations right now. Some commuters say they aren't interested because of refund restrictions. Apart from a NT$20 processing fee, NT$180 is deducted from the remaining value for the first day of usage and NT$130 for every day after that. This means commuters won't be able to get a refund once they use the card for more than 10 days.

I've crunched the numbers. I actually spend more per month right now than the cost of the all pass ticket, but I still don't think it's worth it. If my work location changes, it'd be a huge hassle to try to get a refund. If my total expense only exceeds tens of dollars of the all pass ticket, the refund and cancellation charges might be more than that difference.

Taipei and New Taipei expected sales of 230,000 tickets, but only 123,000 have sold to date. Officials say most people are probably still trying to make up their mind and there are 200,000 Taipei residents that spend over NT$1,200 per month on bus and MRT rides. Therefore, the potential user base is considerable and the city will continue promoting the ticket.