The Department of Transportation (DOT) have implemented the pilot project for YouBike 2.0 at the Gonguan commercial district since January 15. After three months of operation, the project reported a total of 500,000 vehicle rental transaction, with over 60,000 users taking advantage of the trial service. On average, each bicycle saw usage of at least 10 trips daily.
Given the success of the shared bicycle service, the program will be extended beyond the trial period which originally ended on April 16. The adjusted rental rates will be the same as YouBike 1.0, which is NT$5 for the first 30 minutes.
DOT pointed out that in the interest of promoting the upgrade of the public shared bicycle system and lowering the barrier of rental station establishment, YouBike 2.0 adopts a new design which includes a bike dashboard and a lean parking post for the bicycle. However, the design also makes YouBike 2.0 incompatible with the parking post of the original YouBike.
To test the new system, a number of second-generation bicycles were deployed around Gongguan and National Taiwan University since January 15. Thanks to the new design allowing easier facility deployment, a large number of rental stops were set up in the vicinity. Problems reported by users received immediate attention, winning the pilot project a high rating of 91% from the user satisfaction survey.
The city government’s shared bicycle system improvement program will evaluate the results from the YouBike 2.0 pilot project. During the trial period, YouBike 2.0 rental fee was NT$2 for the first 30 minutes. For the extension period, the rental fee will be adjusted to NT$5 for the first 30 minute – the same as existing rates for YouBike. Users with public transportation transfer discounts or individuals who bought the All-pass Ticket can hire the bicycle for free during the initial 30 minutes.
The agency reminds the public not to park their personal vehicles or bicycles within the parameters of the rental stations to avoid obstructing access to the vehicles.