After recording a loss of NT$15.4 billion last year due to the epidemic, Taipei Metro is testing out creative ways to bring in revenue.
MRT commuters changing lines stop at one of the many shops to pick up breakfast.
Commuter: “If I didn't prepare it the day before, I'll pick something up on my way to work. Convenience is my No. 1 priority.”
Commuter: “I'm always in a rush to get to work on time, so it's really convenient to be able to pick something up and go.”
Taipei Metro recently opened up a trial "micromall" inside ticket gates at Nanjing Fuxing Station, with goods provided by metro mall vendors for profit-sharing. The mall targets transiting commuters. Taipei Metro is forecasting annual revenues of NT$9 million and hopes earnings can help offset epidemic-related losses.
Huang Ching-hsinn, President, Taipei Metro: “We are forecasting (sales) of NT$9 million. There'll of course be the "new store effect" factor, but regardless, as I just said, there will be sustained growth.”
Daily ridership on Taipei Metro has fallen from 2.16 million in 2019 to 1.9 million in 2020 to 1.45 million in 2021. In the first two months of this year, daily ridership rebounded to 1.56 million. Taipei Metro says it has many different plans for development inside stations.
一早搭乘捷運的旅客，在捷運通道準備換線轉乘的路上就有一整排的商店，其中以咖啡和麵包，最受上班族青睞。
民眾說:「如果前一天沒有準備的話，當然就是上班前在附近買，就是以方便為原則。」
也有民眾表示:「趕上班時帶著就可以走了，是還蠻方便的。」
這是台北捷運公司首度在捷運閘門內開設微型商場，從過去閘門外地下街當房東招租模式，轉換為閘門內自營商場，與合作店家分潤，展店目標為中運量轉乘捷運。第1家店選在南京復興站，主打不出站就能買，年營業額目標900萬元，全力拚業外收入，多少也希望彌補疫情期間的虧損。
台北捷運公司總經理黃清信表示:「初步營業額是在900萬，但是因為剛展店，總是有一些新店效應，那不管怎麼樣，要持續再成長。」
回顧過去四年，台北捷運平均每日運量，在108年衝到216萬⼈次， 隔年也有190萬⼈次，去年經歷三級警戒，運量下滑到145萬⼈次，今年初緩步回升，1到2月平均156萬人次，疫情鬆綁之際，北捷表示，除站內店陸續展店，也會規劃多角化發展。
