YouBike

YouBike, or Taipei Bike Sharing System, is a public bicycle sharing service offered by the Taipei City Department of Transportation in a BOT collaboration with local manufacturer Giant Bicycles. As of 26 May 2016, service stations in the bike system are available in Taipei City, New Taipei City, Taoyuan City, Hsinchu City, Taichung City, Changhua County, and Miaoli County. In Taipei City, rental is NT$5 for the first 30 minutes of use and adopts progressive tolls from NT$10 to NT$40 thereafter. No other fee, such as yearly deposit, is required. In New Taipei City, Taichung City and Changhua County, rental is free for the first 30 minutes. There is a 15-minute renewal restriction period at the station to which the bike was returned.[1][2]

YouBike kiosk

In 2014, the system saw 22 million rentals, double the 11 million rentals the previous year, with 196 rental stations circulating 6,046 bikes.[3][4]

History

Launched in 2009, the system initially saw an unexpectedly small number of daily users in the trial district of Xinyi. This prompted the city's Department of Transportation (zh) to expand the system along the Taipei Metro lines and into several more districts.[5] The slow initial adoption of YouBike rentals was overcome through adjusting the business model, such as by lowering rates (including making the first 30 minutes free of charge), and increasing ways to open an account (online via the YouBike website or at the kiosks).[1][6] In April 2015, the Taipei Department of Transportation began charging YouBike riders for the first 30 minutes of use.[7]

In 2020, the improved new system, YouBike 2.0, is taking its trials near National Taiwan University. The new system allows bike renting with only smartphones and reduces the limitations of station infrastructure. The government hopes that the new system will help build a larger scale of bike rental network.[8]

Bikes
Two YouBikes in Taipei

According to the company, each of the system’s bikes costs about NT$10,000 (US$330) because they are designed to withstand frequent use. The bicycles are built to be used 13 times a day on average, much more often than the twice daily use that most other bicycles average.[9] Each bicycle has an RFID tag for vehicle tracking and theft prevention.[10]

References
  1. About YouBike. Taipei City Department of Transportation. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
  2. YouBike前30分鐘　免費制將改成收5元
  3. Two wheels make a comeback in Taiwan, BBC News, 11 Feb 2015
  4. Lee, Hsin-Yin (24 October 2014). "YouBike ridership surpasses 30 million". Central News Agency. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
  5. Mo Yan-chih (2012) "Taipei to boost its public bicycle rental program" 27 May. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2012/05/27/2003533855
  6. "Taipei City Expands Its YouBike Network". Department of Economic Development, Taipei City Government. 15 October 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  7. Huang, Lee-yun; Kao, Evelyn (31 March 2015). "Taipei set to start charging YouBike riders for first 30 minutes". Central News Agency. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
  8. 北市府網站管理員 (2020-01-09). "Taipei City Government". Taipei City Government. Retrieved 2020-03-31.
  9. Giant looks to expand YouBike rental system
  10. 偷YouBike怕被發現 噴漆上路仍被逮
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