Taiwan Railway's discounted tickets for college students have been widely praised by young students since they went on the road this year. Democratic Progressive Party legislator Chen Ying questioned and asked at the Legislative Yuan today, hoping that the half-price discount could be extended to high school students aged 12 to 18 years old. Transportation Minister Chen Shikai promised on the spot that we have asked the Taiwan Railways to discuss this matter and hope to introduce fare discounts for junior high school students in January next year.
Democratic Progressive Party legislator Chen Ying said that she and legislator Zhuang Ruixiong recently successfully coordinated the Taiwan Railways to launch preferential fares for college students, with as low as 50% off. The plan was officially launched in August this year. Although there were some problems in the early stages of the policy, including disputes over student identification and ticket verification, Taiwan Railways quickly adjusted to improve the preferential policy.
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Chen Ying mentioned that this policy can reduce the burden of transportation back home for many Taitung college students who have left their hometowns to study in western counties and cities, and many college students affirmed it. However, Taiwan Railway currently provides a 50% discount on fares for schoolchildren aged 6 to under 12 years old. College students also have discounted fares. However, there is no exclusive discounted fare for junior high school students aged 12 to 18 years old. This leaves a gap in the system for junior high school students. Many students in Taitung go to study abroad after graduating from elementary school. Many of them rarely go home because of fare problems. We hope that the Taiwan Railways can also provide fare discounts to allow more young people traveling abroad to go home.
Chen Ying pointed out that many Taitung folks live in western counties and cities, and take trains with their families to return home during holidays or winter and summer vacations. If a family of four returns to Taitung, the transportation costs are considerable, which is a burden for a well-off family. Since there are fare discounts for elementary and college students, can the discount be extended to elementary and high school students aged 12 to 18 in the future, so as to make the preferential system more complete and reduce the financial burden of families traveling abroad in Taitung when they return home.
Chen Shikai responded that there are already discounts for college students. Since the pilot launch in August, it has been found that many young people used to go home once a month. After the fare discount, they go home twice a month. The frequency of homecomings has increased, which is indeed a good thing for the people of Huadong.
Chen Shikai further said that there is indeed a gap now. Some high school students in Taitung and Hualien are studying out of town. Whether commuting or other modes, they also rely on rail transportation. When Commissioner Chen Ying became concerned, she asked the Taiwan Railways to discuss the matter.
Chen Shikai emphasized that "in the future, fare discounts for junior high school students will be based on the fare discount model for college students." We will see where the collected data needs to be improved, and we will launch a fare discount for junior high school students after more optimization. We hope that Taiwan Railway Corporation will launch a discount in January next year so that junior high school students aged 12 to 18 can enjoy Taiwan Railway's fare discounts, so that their commuting transportation costs can be reduced.
Chen Ying pointed out that this is quite exciting news. Chen Shikai said that he hopes the Taiwan Railway Corporation can launch it in January next year, and the plan is currently being adjusted.
