Local transportation 5: EasyCard

EasyCard (悠遊卡)

EasyCard is a contact-less payment card based on RFID technology that can be used to pay bus, MRT, and parking fares. Passengers who use the card to ride the MRT enjoy a twenty percent discount on the published fare. Users also get a NT$7 discount for MRT-to-bus or bus-to-MRT transfers within one hour. If making a bus-to-MRT transfer, the transfer time limit starts from swiping the card at the sensor on the bus. For MRT-to-bus transfers, the transfer time limit starts from swiping the card at the MRT fare gate.

Cards with different stored values plus a mandatory NT$100 security deposit can be purchased at MRT stations and convenience stores, but student's card should be purchased at MRT stations by your student ID card. The stored value and deposit can be fully refunded if the card has been used more than five times; otherwise, a NT$20 refund fee applies. Most Wikimania attendees who venture through Taipei primarily by public transportation will meet the five-use refund requirement.

There is also a type of EasyCard called Taipei Pass, which is aimed at tourists. The pass provides unlimited bus and MRT rides as well as discounts at selected tourist attractions, restaurants, and hotels for a limited time period. See this link for details. The following is a list of pass types:

1 Day Pass, NT$250
2 Day Pass, NT$450
3 Day Pass, NT$650
5 Day Pass, NT$1,000

Discounts offered at certain places using the pass may not be spectacular: depending on your travel plans in Taipei, purchasing a regular EasyCard may actually be better than purchasing the Taipei Pass.