Taipei bus
Encyclopedia
The Taipei Joint Bus System is a bus system that serves the greater metropolitan area of Taipei
, Taiwan
. It is administered by the Taipei Joint Bus Service Management Center, the Taipei City Traffic Bureau, and the New Taipei City Traffic Bureau (formerly Taipei County Traffic Bureau), and is operated by 15 private agencies. It is composed of two system of Taipei City and New Taipei City, with same numbering and fare system.
Each bus operating agency participating in the joint alliance formed a committee overseeing a joint-venture management center. Operationally, the stops and waiting areas are shared between the individual operators. While ticketing and fare structures are universal within the alliance, each operator remains sovereign with its own structure, assets, revenue vehicles, and legal liabilities. Financially, all the revenue generated are collected to the management then distributed to operating agencies to meet their individual expenditure needs.
Furthermore, Taipei City Traffic Bureau makes a bi-annual service quality evaluation on each of the operating agencies, and using the evaluation as a reference in operator's application for new routes as well as the public transit subsidization. New Taipei City Traffic Bureau evaluates New Taipei-administered operators separately.
.
In the late 1980s to 1990s, many local routes administered by Taiwan Province Highway Bureau (台灣省公路局, now Taiwan Highway Bureau 交通部公路總局) were renumbered and joined the joint service system. As more operators participated in the joint system, the service area increased. As the joint system was completely administered by the Taipei City Traffic Bureau, surveying the transportation needs, stops, and route lining was difficult in Taipei County. Later, when the Taipei County Traffic Bureau was established, routes that had their major mileage in Taipei County were then administered by the County.
In the early stages, the signs could be a circle or a rectangle. After joint operation (Lianying) started, all buses unified their sign designs to be on a circle，with the background color of pink. Information about the particular bus route was listed from top to bottom: first came the route-number (in red text, with the words 聯 (Lian} and 營 (Ying) on either side), the bus stops in red text, and the times for each day's first and last bus, and also the interval of time between each bus, etc.
Information about the Bus-stops were printed on transparent sheets, which were stuck to the LED display or to a plastic board. These could be divided into three main phases：
Originally, each bus operator independently issued various types of paper tickets, which would only be usable for the specific operator's routes. After the Lianying system was implemented, to achieve a unified ticketing system, Lian Guan center (聯管中心) produced a single unified set of tickets, of which there were "ordinary tickets", "concessionary tickets" and "student tickets (students registered for and bought tickets at individual schools). After air-conditioned buses went into operation, special tickets were issued (which, in the past, were more expensive than non-air-conditioned bus tickets). After Lianying, in order to reduce the number of employees, ticket-punchers were gradually phased out, so the drivers had to take up the task of punching tickets, (the so-called "one-person serviced bus"), which led to a decrease in the drivers' work efficiency, and so the "ticket-punching system" was scrapped in the beginning of 1994，when customers paid upon boarding and leaving the bus.
Afterwards, departments of the 民營業者與官方單位 had plans of a system where fares would be deducted from a "retained value chip", and other relevant plans. 民營業者 had first implemented a trial of this fare-deduction system. On 1 September 1998, this retained-value chip fare-deduction system was officially implemented (at first the cash-payment method was entirely scrapped, while later the smart-card and the cash payment system were used together). The chip tickets could be bought with retained values of New Taiwan Dollar
300 dollars and 500 dollars. Due to the chip tickets being unable to be integrated with the Taipei Metro magnetic retained-value ticket，and due to the chip tickets' poor ability to process information, and high rate of failure (could not be recognized, or value could not be deducted) , so, as the RFID technology became more advanced, the bus and MRT both started using the IC Smart card
「easycard
」. Starting from 2002, the bus chip tickets started being gradually replaced with the Easycard, a process that ended on October 8, 2003.
, for example a Taipei Pass
, or directly paid by cash dropped in the fare box. No change is available for cash paid into the fare box. Therefore, it is recommended that passengers collect enough spare change before boarding the bus. The bus fare is determined according to different "sections" of the bus route，categorized as "one-section route" "two-sections route" or "three-sections route."
, bus route ranges are gradually expanding from the downtown area, mainly the Taipei Main Station, towards the suburban areas of Taipei County. Thus, intersection points have appeared, which cause the formation of "two-section routes" and "three-section routes".
Transfer points are located at such places as Shilin, Songshan, Gongguan, Yonghe, Wanhua, and Sanchong, or at the Taipei/New Taipei border on the Tamsui and Xindian Rivers. The locations where the intersection points were designed have consistently become the best places for passengers to change buses, and due to increased pedestrian traffic in those areas, popular and energetic retail streets have developed.
As would be expected, riding through 10 more stops but not through an intersection point would only require the payment of "one-section route" fare, but to board the bus at an intersection point, and riding through only two or three stops, would require a "two-section route" fare. Because the fares required were not proportional to the distance covered on the bus, buffer zones were then created. Buffer zones were created as stations concentrated in areas before and after bridges and tunnels, (e.g. 自強隧道），which increased the efficiency of pedestrians transferring from one bus to another. After the MRT gradually went into operation，more and more bus routes used MRT stations as buffer zones, which led to the creation of more buffer zones, each with larger areas.
Serving major thoroughfares in Taipei City, these trunk routes are named after the major thoroughfares they serve: "Xinyi Trunk Line," for example, serves a major length of Xinyi Road. Some of the trunk routes were later renumbered due to change in transit policy. Nanjing Trunk, seving Nanjing East and West Roads, for example, were renamed as "MacArthur New Village shuttle bus," then later renamed as "Red 25" as a feeder shuttle to the MRT red line. Zhongxiao Trunk, serving Zhongxiao East and West Roads, was dropped due to the route overlapping with the MRT Blue Line. With the addition of low-floor buses and the inauguration of Taipei Nangang Exhibition Hall, a new "Zhongxiao New Trunk Line" was added along with "Xinyi New Trunk Line."
Recreational routes transport passengers to tourist attractions or recreational areas. Some routes run on all holidays (108 circles Yangmingshan
National Park, while 109, 110 and 111 connects Yangmingshan
and Taipei City), while some others only run during special seasons or special holidays. Routes 126–131 run during the Yangmingshan
flower season, where access by private cars is limited. 132 runs only on the Duanwu Festival and Moon Festival. Recreational routes are marked with white on green background, and uses different stops as other routes.
originally only travelled to the area of the Xinnan Temple, Nangang Farmers' Asscoation. After the Southeast (shuttle?) Bus was extablished，the route became extended to the MRT Kunyang Station.
Bo-ai bus routes
To service the disabled, Wheel chair users，the "Bo-ai bus" line was specially operated，and the buses are different from the general buses used. However, the number of handicappeded passengers are very few；Kanfgu Bus（Only for handicapped）vehicle reserved and「Door to door service」is very popular, and is providing strong competition. The Bo-ai bus does not operate as frequently. As for actual function, is really not that different from other general routes。As of the present, the only one route of bo-ai busroute and the 277（松德站—榮總）serve the same routes，Taipei Metropolian's other buses that stop at hospitals provide (Natural Gas Low bottom dish bus）at fixed intervals. 中興巴士集團中的 中興巴士與 光華巴士則於Since 2008 March，聯合 operate Zhongxiao Trunk Line，with all in low bottom dish bus。
Low-floor induces
In 2001, Taipei City Bus Administration (now Metropolitan Transit Company) imported 30 low-floor buses from Hungary, which were assigned to routes 22, 41, 49, 63, 74, 222, 270, 277, 285, 287, 601, 606 and 630. In 2008, with subsidy from the Taipei City Traffic Bureau, private operators started purchasing low-floor buses. Zhongxiao New Trunk Line (忠孝新幹線), jointly operated by Zhongxing Bus (中興巴士) and Kwanghwa Bus (光華巴士) uses 20 low-floor buses imported from mainland China. Xinyi New Trunk Line (信義新幹線), operated by Capital Bus (首都客運), as well as 72, 902, 220 and Brown 9, will all have low-floor buses.
"New Trunk Line Routw Bus
因為身心障礙者原本就十分稀少，復康巴士（專供身心障礙者乘坐）預約訂車與「及門服務」也逐漸普遍化，造成固定班次的效果相對不足，所以自2008年隨著台北市交通局開始推動低底盤公車的引入補助，各家業者開始再度購置低底盤公車，行駛新幹線路線。
2008年3月起，中興巴士集團的中興巴士與光華巴士採用由台灣三陽工業引進中國金龍汽車技術所打造的新車，聯合開行了忠孝新幹線；首都客運亦購得大宇成運新車，於同年6月新闢信義新幹線，同時將原棕9（BR9）路線車輛全數更換，稱為南京新幹線；72, 902及220路線則預定於10月配置。
The MRT shuttles have been operated since 1999 as a feeder network to the metro, shuttling passengers between areas without MRT service to MRT stations. The routes are identified by the respective MRT lines it serves. As an example, BL 7 serves the MRT Blue Line, while BR 10 serves the MRT Brown Line.
These shuttle routes are generally short, though some shuttle routes serves two or more MRT stations on different routes. R 32, for example, serves both the Chungshan Junior High School (of Brown Line) and Minquan West Road stations (of Red Line).
Originally, the vehicle bumpers were required to be painted with the respective MRT line colors. G 2, for example serves the Brown, Green and Orange Lines, therefore was required to have bumpers painted in brown, green and orange, later all painted in green. As of now most vehicles have their bumpers returned to the original livery, pink.
There are many sub-routes using the same route number but operating between different destinations. Usually the red is the main, primary route (正線). Other sub-routes are further divided, using the destination sign on the bus or an acrylic panel sign on the dashboard.
Exceptions to route numbering and coloring
Taipei
Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
. It is administered by the Taipei Joint Bus Service Management Center, the Taipei City Traffic Bureau, and the New Taipei City Traffic Bureau (formerly Taipei County Traffic Bureau), and is operated by 15 private agencies. It is composed of two system of Taipei City and New Taipei City, with same numbering and fare system.
Overview
The system is jointly operated by 15 individual bus transit agencies, sharing the same fare structure, ticketing process, and route numbering. Although most routes are operated by a single agency, there are routes co-operated by two agencies.- :zh:大都會客運 Metropolitan Transit Company (Originally Taipei City Bus Administration, part of the city government, later privatized.)
- :zh:欣欣客運 Shin-Shin Bus
- :zh:大有巴士 CitiAir Bus
- :zh:大南汽車 Da-Nan Bus
- :zh:光華巴士 Kuang-Hua Bus
- :zh:中興巴士 Chung-Shing Bus
- :zh:指南客運 Chih-Nan Bus
- :zh:台北客運 Taipei Bus
- :zh:三重客運 San-Chung Bus
- :zh:首都客運 Capital Bus
- :zh:新店客運 Hsintien Bus
- :zh:欣和客運 Hsin-Ho Bus
- :zh:淡水客運 Tamshui Bus
- :zh:東南客運 Southeast Bus
- :zh:基隆客運 Keelung Bus
- :zh:福和客運 Fu He Bus, has dejoined the joint or union system
Each bus operating agency participating in the joint alliance formed a committee overseeing a joint-venture management center. Operationally, the stops and waiting areas are shared between the individual operators. While ticketing and fare structures are universal within the alliance, each operator remains sovereign with its own structure, assets, revenue vehicles, and legal liabilities. Financially, all the revenue generated are collected to the management then distributed to operating agencies to meet their individual expenditure needs.
Furthermore, Taipei City Traffic Bureau makes a bi-annual service quality evaluation on each of the operating agencies, and using the evaluation as a reference in operator's application for new routes as well as the public transit subsidization. New Taipei City Traffic Bureau evaluates New Taipei-administered operators separately.
History
Before 1976, bus operators, including ones operated by the Taipei City Bus Administration (now Metropolitan Transit Company), each had their own fare structure and tickets. Paper tickets could not be used between two different operators, making transfers between routes inconvenient. Bus routes were individually planned by the operators, often creating areas that either had too much service or not enough service.The formation of the joint bus system
To increase service efficiency, the "Committee on the Establishment of Taipei City Public and Private Bus Joint Service" was formed in 1976, unifying route numbering, fare structures and ticketing, and establishing a unified organization administering joint service businesses. On April 30, 1977, the joint service began with 33 routes. Later in the same year, 97 routes were added to the joint system. The number of operators increased from 5 (4 private operators and TCBA) to 10.In the late 1980s to 1990s, many local routes administered by Taiwan Province Highway Bureau (台灣省公路局, now Taiwan Highway Bureau 交通部公路總局) were renumbered and joined the joint service system. As more operators participated in the joint system, the service area increased. As the joint system was completely administered by the Taipei City Traffic Bureau, surveying the transportation needs, stops, and route lining was difficult in Taipei County. Later, when the Taipei County Traffic Bureau was established, routes that had their major mileage in Taipei County were then administered by the County.
The change of bus stop sign
- Written by Hand
In the early stages, the signs could be a circle or a rectangle. After joint operation (Lianying) started, all buses unified their sign designs to be on a circle，with the background color of pink. Information about the particular bus route was listed from top to bottom: first came the route-number (in red text, with the words 聯 (Lian} and 營 (Ying) on either side), the bus stops in red text, and the times for each day's first and last bus, and also the interval of time between each bus, etc.
- Print and Paste
Information about the Bus-stops were printed on transparent sheets, which were stuck to the LED display or to a plastic board. These could be divided into three main phases：
- Phase 1：on a stick, there would be installed a dark brown rectangular stand for the LED unit，on which the stop-names would be written with white text. On both sides, would be installed four LED rectangular boards，three of which would be used for route information，including: routes display, and the list of stops. The fourth LED board would be used for displaying advertisements.This started in the 1970s1970sFile:1970s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: US President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office after the Watergate scandal in 1974; Refugees aboard a US naval boat after the Fall of Saigon, leading to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975; The 1973 oil...
. - Phase 2：
- Phase 3：
Ticketing evolution
Afterwards, departments of the 民營業者與官方單位 had plans of a system where fares would be deducted from a "retained value chip", and other relevant plans. 民營業者 had first implemented a trial of this fare-deduction system. On 1 September 1998, this retained-value chip fare-deduction system was officially implemented (at first the cash-payment method was entirely scrapped, while later the smart-card and the cash payment system were used together). The chip tickets could be bought with retained values of New Taiwan Dollar
New Taiwan dollar
The New Taiwan dollar , or simply Taiwan dollar, is the official currency of the Taiwan Area of the Republic of China since 1949, when it replaced the Old Taiwan dollar...
300 dollars and 500 dollars. Due to the chip tickets being unable to be integrated with the Taipei Metro magnetic retained-value ticket，and due to the chip tickets' poor ability to process information, and high rate of failure (could not be recognized, or value could not be deducted) , so, as the RFID technology became more advanced, the bus and MRT both started using the IC Smart card
Smart card
A smart card, chip card, or integrated circuit card , is any pocket-sized card with embedded integrated circuits. A smart card or microprocessor cards contain volatile memory and microprocessor components. The card is made of plastic, generally polyvinyl chloride, but sometimes acrylonitrile...
「easycard
EasyCard
The EasyCard is a contactless smartcard system operated by the Taipei Smart Card Corporation for payment on the Taipei MRT, buses, and other public transport services in Taipei since June 2002. Its use has since been expanded to include convenience stores, department stores, supermarkets, and...
」. Starting from 2002, the bus chip tickets started being gradually replaced with the Easycard, a process that ended on October 8, 2003.
Toll method
Currently, Lianying bus fares are either charged to an EasyCardEasyCard
The EasyCard is a contactless smartcard system operated by the Taipei Smart Card Corporation for payment on the Taipei MRT, buses, and other public transport services in Taipei since June 2002. Its use has since been expanded to include convenience stores, department stores, supermarkets, and...
, for example a Taipei Pass
Taipei Pass
The Taipei Pass , is a travel pass issued by the Traffic Bureau 委託ed EasyCard Corporation in Taipei, the principal city of Taiwan. First issued in November 2006, it is available for periods of 1–day, 2–days、3–days and 5–days...
, or directly paid by cash dropped in the fare box. No change is available for cash paid into the fare box. Therefore, it is recommended that passengers collect enough spare change before boarding the bus. The bus fare is determined according to different "sections" of the bus route，categorized as "one-section route" "two-sections route" or "three-sections route."
sections charge
- One-section routes: When the passenger boards the bus on any station on the bus route, and alights on another stop on the same bus route（single journey price）.
- two, three sections routes：from any stations that are "intersection-points" or "buffer sections," station on a route. for example：
- A - B - C - D - E（C as inter-section point）. A→ B or C "one-section route"；A → D or E "two-section route" (2x fare）；C → any other stops "one-section route."
- A - B - C - D - E（B～D as the buffer section）. A or E → B-D = "one-section route"；A → E ="two-sections route"；B-D → all other stations "one-section route."
- A - B - C - D - E - F - G（B as the inter-section point, D～F as the buffer section）. A→B "one-section route"；A→ C-F "two-sections route," A→G "three-sections route."（3x fare）；B→ C-F "one-section route." ；B or C → G would be a "two-section route."
Intersection points and buffer zones
Upon the development and expansion of the Taipei Urban areaTaipei
Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
, bus route ranges are gradually expanding from the downtown area, mainly the Taipei Main Station, towards the suburban areas of Taipei County. Thus, intersection points have appeared, which cause the formation of "two-section routes" and "three-section routes".
Transfer points are located at such places as Shilin, Songshan, Gongguan, Yonghe, Wanhua, and Sanchong, or at the Taipei/New Taipei border on the Tamsui and Xindian Rivers. The locations where the intersection points were designed have consistently become the best places for passengers to change buses, and due to increased pedestrian traffic in those areas, popular and energetic retail streets have developed.
As would be expected, riding through 10 more stops but not through an intersection point would only require the payment of "one-section route" fare, but to board the bus at an intersection point, and riding through only two or three stops, would require a "two-section route" fare. Because the fares required were not proportional to the distance covered on the bus, buffer zones were then created. Buffer zones were created as stations concentrated in areas before and after bridges and tunnels, (e.g. 自強隧道），which increased the efficiency of pedestrians transferring from one bus to another. After the MRT gradually went into operation，more and more bus routes used MRT stations as buffer zones, which led to the creation of more buffer zones, each with larger areas.
Ticket price
Single Section of Ticket price is exceled with fare formula by Taipei City Transport Bureau, adjustment，when approved then submit to City Council 同意（but the bus companies and the Taipei City Transportation Bureau have different views regarding the adjustment of ticket prices 不免衍生爭議）. Though it is technically called 「Single Fare」，but in actuality, there are variations in the fare. （優惠票與全票間的差額由政府補貼）。現行Single journey ticket full fare is $15；Student fare is $12（only if the student is using the Student Easycard，otherwise, the full fare will be charged）；the elderly, the physically or mentally disabled, and children Concession $8.（Elderly people with the Easycard "free points," can pay by having two points deducted）.Transfer concession
Easycard users can enjoy a concession fare when transferring between buses and MRTs within one hour. When this concession is applied, the full fare is 8 dollars, and the student fare is 6 dollars. For elders, physically/mentally handicapped persons and children, this concession fare is 4 dollars. (Alternately, if elders have "free points" on their easycard, one "point" may be deducted as the fare.) But this concession can only be applied to the one leg of the journey.One- and two-digit bus route numbers
- Start with 0：0, 0 East, 0 South, 0 West, 0 North goes through Taipei Main StationTaipei Main StationTaipei Station, also called Taipei Railway Station or Taipei Main Station , refers to the old downtown region in Taipei City, Taiwan, where different modes of public transport systems converge; the station is at the center of this region...
circular routes in former，依行駛方向不同分為左線和右線。As of the present, no more circular routes in 0 East, 0 South；為了便於區別routes，也都already left, right lane divide is canceled。例如：已changed號為652的0東右線；曾改號為653，finally terminate operation's 0 South left line。 - 其他個位數, 兩位數routes號碼：早期以one section charge的routes為主。這類號碼當中，有些是route number already exist before lianyang system is performed，Lianyang System practiced after continue to using。Example：12。
Three-digit bus route numbers
- 1 Initial：Recreational bus routes。
- 2 Initial：just started mainly being a "two-section route" fare. e.g. 299（輔大—永春高中，intersection point at Taipei Main Station）。
- 3 Initial：just started mainly being a "three-section route" fare. e.g. in earlier periods, 306 had饒河街, Taipei橋 these two intersection points. As of the present, except for 304 承德 line and 重慶line，other routes have been changed to "two-section route" fare.
- 5 Initial：Originally "air-conditioned bus" "one-section route" fare. After all bus routes startd using air-conditioned buses, the "air-conditioning" no longer distinguishes the "5 Initial" routes from other routes.
- 6 Initial：Originally "air-conditioned bus" "two-section route" fare. same as above.
- 7 Initial：Originally 地方公路客運route，after 1997, the Lianyang system of "one-section route," "two-section route" and "three-section route" was implemented. "One-section route" and "two-section route" became 5 Initial and 6 Initial routes. Part of the routes later became changed to "two-section route" fare.(??)
- 8 Initial：Managed by the New Taipei City Transportation Department, the 「市轄bus」routes. e.g. 801（五股—Songshan AirportTaipei Songshan AirportTaipei Songshan Airport or Taipei Sungshan Airport is a midsize commercial airport and military airbase located in Songshan, Taipei, Taiwan...
） - 9 Initial：Express bus（903 used to only operate during the morning and afternoon rush hours），mostly travel on the 高速公路or the 快速道路. e.g. 908（ MRT Jian-an Station—Sansia；行經國道三號（Formosa Freeway）。
Trunk routes
Serving major thoroughfares in Taipei City, these trunk routes are named after the major thoroughfares they serve: "Xinyi Trunk Line," for example, serves a major length of Xinyi Road. Some of the trunk routes were later renumbered due to change in transit policy. Nanjing Trunk, seving Nanjing East and West Roads, for example, were renamed as "MacArthur New Village shuttle bus," then later renamed as "Red 25" as a feeder shuttle to the MRT red line. Zhongxiao Trunk, serving Zhongxiao East and West Roads, was dropped due to the route overlapping with the MRT Blue Line. With the addition of low-floor buses and the inauguration of Taipei Nangang Exhibition Hall, a new "Zhongxiao New Trunk Line" was added along with "Xinyi New Trunk Line."
Recreational bus routes
Yangmingshan
One of the eight national parks in Taiwan, the Yangmingshan National Park is located between Taipei City and New Taipei City, Taiwan. The districts that house parts of the park grounds include Taipei's Beitou and Shilin Districts; and New Taipei's Wanli, Jinshan, and Sanzhi Districts. During the...
National Park, while 109, 110 and 111 connects Yangmingshan
Yangmingshan
One of the eight national parks in Taiwan, the Yangmingshan National Park is located between Taipei City and New Taipei City, Taiwan. The districts that house parts of the park grounds include Taipei's Beitou and Shilin Districts; and New Taipei's Wanli, Jinshan, and Sanzhi Districts. During the...
and Taipei City), while some others only run during special seasons or special holidays. Routes 126–131 run during the Yangmingshan
Yangmingshan
One of the eight national parks in Taiwan, the Yangmingshan National Park is located between Taipei City and New Taipei City, Taiwan. The districts that house parts of the park grounds include Taipei's Beitou and Shilin Districts; and New Taipei's Wanli, Jinshan, and Sanzhi Districts. During the...
flower season, where access by private cars is limited. 132 runs only on the Duanwu Festival and Moon Festival. Recreational routes are marked with white on green background, and uses different stops as other routes.
Small buses
For the convenience of residents living in suburban, mountain areas, smaller buses have been operated since 1979. These routes usually go into mountains and remote areas, and can be flag and stop (隨招隨停) along the route like a taxi. In urban areas, these routes use fixed bus stops. These "small" routes begin with the letter "S," such as "S1" and "S15." Small routes are usually run with 20-seat mini buses and were operated by the Taipei City Bus dministration. After the TCBA has been privatized, all the S routes have been released along their service vehicles to Danan Bus, Capital Bus and Southeast Bus. To increase the number of 業者 taking "Small" routes, the general opinion is that 業者於接手後 modify routes，以兼顧服務山區居民與業者獲利考量。After modification of some of the routes，transport between the mountain areas and the MRT stations also became the function of the MRT shuttle bus，and was not only the function of the "Small" bus routes. For example: the "small route" of the S1 local bus （Neigou—MRT Kunyang StationKunyang Station
Kunyang Station is a station on the Nangang Line of the Taipei Metro, located in Nangang District, Taipei, Taiwan.-Station overview:Kunyang Station is a two-story, underground station with one island platform and four exits...
originally only travelled to the area of the Xinnan Temple, Nangang Farmers' Asscoation. After the Southeast (shuttle?) Bus was extablished，the route became extended to the MRT Kunyang Station.
Bo-ai bus routes
To service the disabled, Wheel chair users，the "Bo-ai bus" line was specially operated，and the buses are different from the general buses used. However, the number of handicappeded passengers are very few；Kanfgu Bus（Only for handicapped）vehicle reserved and「Door to door service」is very popular, and is providing strong competition. The Bo-ai bus does not operate as frequently. As for actual function, is really not that different from other general routes。As of the present, the only one route of bo-ai busroute and the 277（松德站—榮總）serve the same routes，Taipei Metropolian's other buses that stop at hospitals provide (Natural Gas Low bottom dish bus）at fixed intervals. 中興巴士集團中的 中興巴士與 光華巴士則於Since 2008 March，聯合 operate Zhongxiao Trunk Line，with all in low bottom dish bus。
Low-floor induces
In 2001, Taipei City Bus Administration (now Metropolitan Transit Company) imported 30 low-floor buses from Hungary, which were assigned to routes 22, 41, 49, 63, 74, 222, 270, 277, 285, 287, 601, 606 and 630. In 2008, with subsidy from the Taipei City Traffic Bureau, private operators started purchasing low-floor buses. Zhongxiao New Trunk Line (忠孝新幹線), jointly operated by Zhongxing Bus (中興巴士) and Kwanghwa Bus (光華巴士) uses 20 low-floor buses imported from mainland China. Xinyi New Trunk Line (信義新幹線), operated by Capital Bus (首都客運), as well as 72, 902, 220 and Brown 9, will all have low-floor buses.
"New Trunk Line Routw Bus
因為身心障礙者原本就十分稀少，復康巴士（專供身心障礙者乘坐）預約訂車與「及門服務」也逐漸普遍化，造成固定班次的效果相對不足，所以自2008年隨著台北市交通局開始推動低底盤公車的引入補助，各家業者開始再度購置低底盤公車，行駛新幹線路線。
2008年3月起，中興巴士集團的中興巴士與光華巴士採用由台灣三陽工業引進中國金龍汽車技術所打造的新車，聯合開行了忠孝新幹線；首都客運亦購得大宇成運新車，於同年6月新闢信義新幹線，同時將原棕9（BR9）路線車輛全數更換，稱為南京新幹線；72, 902及220路線則預定於10月配置。
Citizen Mini Bus
In 2007, the Taipei City Traffic Bureau planned several Citizen Mini Bus routes, to provide the "last mile" shuttle needs from MRT stations to communities. These routes usually do not cross over into another district, and goes by MRT stations or major bus transfer points. With the exception of "S27," all mini bus routes begin with an "M." Originally 11 routes were planned, although 4 were dropped in favor of themed bus routes (see below) in the western portion of Taipei City due to policies. 6 routes were later put into service as of 2007.Themed bus routes
The themed routes emphasize tourism and have been in operation since 2008. They fall between the Citizen Mini Bus and the Recreational Buses. These routes mostly run in Wanhwa and Tatung Districts (萬華區, 大同區). Originally planned as 4 Citizens Mini Bus routes, after evaluation and urban revitalization policies for the two districts, these routes were later presented as themed bus routes for tourism, as they are rather different from the commuter-oriented Citizens Mini Bus. Two of these themed routes are in service as of 2008, and are free for passengers.MRT shuttle routes
| Route | ||
|---|---|---|
| Brown | ||
| Red | ||
| Orange | ||
| Green | ||
| Blue | ||
The MRT shuttles have been operated since 1999 as a feeder network to the metro, shuttling passengers between areas without MRT service to MRT stations. The routes are identified by the respective MRT lines it serves. As an example, BL 7 serves the MRT Blue Line, while BR 10 serves the MRT Brown Line.
These shuttle routes are generally short, though some shuttle routes serves two or more MRT stations on different routes. R 32, for example, serves both the Chungshan Junior High School (of Brown Line) and Minquan West Road stations (of Red Line).
Originally, the vehicle bumpers were required to be painted with the respective MRT line colors. G 2, for example serves the Brown, Green and Orange Lines, therefore was required to have bumpers painted in brown, green and orange, later all painted in green. As of now most vehicles have their bumpers returned to the original livery, pink.
Industrial park commuter routes
As more businesses started moving into Neihu Technology Park and Nangang Software Park, the surrounding roads see a dramatic increase in traffic. Taipei City Traffic Bureau, as a response, planned routes that connect the industrial parks and MRT stations, as well as commuter express buses to New Taipei. The express routes utilize expressways, freeways, and/or bus lanes to shorten the commute.Special routes style divide
- Short line: only operates part of the main line, usually servicing the segment with the highest ridership. The route number is often colored in green.
- For example, 260 (main line) runs between YangmingshanYangmingshanOne of the eight national parks in Taiwan, the Yangmingshan National Park is located between Taipei City and New Taipei City, Taiwan. The districts that house parts of the park grounds include Taipei's Beitou and Shilin Districts; and New Taipei's Wanli, Jinshan, and Sanzhi Districts. During the...
and Dongyuan, while the 260 (short line) only runs half of the length between YangmingshanYangmingshanOne of the eight national parks in Taiwan, the Yangmingshan National Park is located between Taipei City and New Taipei City, Taiwan. The districts that house parts of the park grounds include Taipei's Beitou and Shilin Districts; and New Taipei's Wanli, Jinshan, and Sanzhi Districts. During the...
and Taipei Railway Station.
- For example, 260 (main line) runs between Yangmingshan
- Secondary lines: usually overlaps with part of the primary route, with route numbers colored in green or blue, or marked with the major thoroughfares the routes serve. Often secondary lines will be renumbered.
- Example: 245 (secondary line via Yu-min Road) and 245 (main line) used to serve between De-lin Institute and Taipei (the main line has been extended to Taipei City Hall), but the secondary route serves Yu-min Road, which the primary route does not. There's also 245 (Ching-shan Line) that serves the eastern portion of Ming-duh Road in Tucheng. 245 (secondary route via Yu-min Road) has been renumbered 656, while 245 (Ching-shan Line) has been renumbered 657.
- Example: The 605 has a secondary route via Chung-yang Road and another one serving the Shin-tai-wu Road, using the new State Route 5.
- Example: 643 (Jin-shiu—Fushing North Village) is renumbered from 642 (secondary route) , while the route profile was originally different from 642 (primary route, Ching-tan—Fushing North Village).
- Examples of econdary routes seceded from their respective primary routes and renumbered: 650/647, 656 and 657 with 245, 909/906.
- Direct service uses expressways or cuts shortcuts compared to the primary, main route.
- Example: 214 direct (Chungho — National Defense Medical CenterNational Defense Medical CenterThe National Defense Medical Center is a ROC military affiliated medical school in Taipei, Taiwan. The NDMC is responsible for the training of military doctors, nurses and other medical personnel.- History :...
) uses Yungho Road in Yungho, while the primary route detours and serves Jhu-lin and Zhongzheng Roads. - Example: 212 direct (212 via Zhongxiao East Road) serves Zhongxiao East and West Roads, while the main line detours and serves Nangang, Xiangyang and Yungjih Roads.
- Example: 214 direct (Chungho — National Defense Medical Center
- Left / right routes: separated by the direction traveling. Since it causes confusion, as of writing only Green 2 and 貓空遊園bus are separated into left and right lines.
- Example: 672 is formerly "254 left line", while 254 used to be "254 right line."
- Rapid routes: utilize expressways and/or freeways, and/or have limited stops. These routes have numbers start with a 9, or appear as secondary routes, often serving the same destinations.
- Example: 605 express (Sihjhi—Taipei Main Station) uses Huandong Boulevard and the National Freeway 1.
- Night owl service: a few routes have fixed departures after the end of regular service. Night owl fare s higher than regular fare.
- As of now the routes that have night owl service include: 39, 212via Zhongxiao East Road, 236, 265 and 287.
Exceptions to route numbering and coloring
- 232: due to route relining, the primary route became 232 and the secondary route 232.
- 紅15：from 2004 to 2007，divided into the "main route" and "sub- route." The route that the new main route covered had less overlap with the original route，and was named R15；the new "sub-route" had more overlap with the original route, and was named 紅15。
- 311：In the past, was divided into three routes: 311（main route）, 311（green sub-route）, 311（blue route）. Later, 311（汐止—中和；行經汐止大同路）was shortened, and became route 668（汐止—公館）. This new arrangement produced a route 311that had changed to become 行經汐止新台五路，which was later shortened, becoming route 675（汐止—公館）。311（汐止—松江路；行經東湖）has become route 711. Therefore, there is now a route 311（中和—松山；行經永福橋），but it is not a "main route."
- 216：Due to the "main route" being terminated, so this area's buses of 216（displayed on the bus's LEDLEdLEd is a TeX/LaTeX editing software working under Microsoft Windows. It is a freeware product....
number plate）and 216（displayed on the bus's LEDLEdLEd is a TeX/LaTeX editing software working under Microsoft Windows. It is a freeware product....
number plate）；the sub-route being 216副（displayed on the bus's LEDLEdLEd is a TeX/LaTeX editing software working under Microsoft Windows. It is a freeware product....
word display unit）以及216（Yakeli routes number plate）.
Irregular numberings
- Beside ordinary routes, for a short period of time, there were also special routes making use of "medium-sized air-conditioned buses". These buses went into service on July 1, 1976，and their route numbers were preceded with the word "中"or "Medium", such as 中1 and 中2. After September 6, 1979, these routes were reverted to ordinary routes, and were renamed with a first digit of "5" or "6."
- In the past, numbers such as 4, which sounds like the word "die" (死) in Chinese, and the number 13, which is unlucky in Western culture, were not used as route numbers. Even today, 4 is not used as the first digit of route names with three digits. While 13 is still never used as a route number on ordinary routes, there are routes named "red 13" and "green 13" (紅13, 綠13) on MRT shuttle buses.
- While the number 8 has positive connotations, it also refers to the historical Eighth Route ArmyEighth Route ArmyThe Eighth Route Army was the larger of the two major Chinese communist forces that formed a unit of the National Revolutionary Army of the Republic of China which fought the Japanese from 1937 to 1945. In contrast to most of the National Revolutionary Army, it was controlled by the Communist...
. Due to these political reasons, 8 was not used as a route number, and 8 was never used as the first digit in three-digit route names. In route-names with two digits, 8 was first used in the 1980s1980sFile:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
as a first digit in route 80. Later on, after a county-controlled bus system was established，8, 88, and 8## bus route numbers appeared. Also, a MRT shuttle bus is numbered "綠8" or "Green 8." - As it connotes the 228 incident228 IncidentThe 228 Incident, also known as the 228 Massacre, was an anti-government uprising in Taiwan that began on February 27, 1947, and was violently suppressed by the Kuomintang government. Estimates of the number of deaths vary from 10,000 to 30,000 or more...
, the number 228 has never been used as a route number.
Lists
- List of Taipei Joint or Union Bus routes
- List of Taipei Joint or Union Bus former routes
Bus ally companies
- 大都會客運
- Capital Bus
- 三重客運
- 中興巴士關係企業
- Taipei客運
- Shin-Shin Bus
- 大南汽車
- 大有巴士, 福和客運
- 東南客運
- Xindian Bus(新店客運)
New Taipei City, urban and rural village free community bus
- 淡水鎮免費社區bus
- 三芝鄉社區bus
- 石門鄉社區bus
- 金山鄉免費社區巴士
- 萬里鄉社區bus
- 汐止社區巴士
- 石碇鄉社區巴士
- 烏來鄉社區巴士
- 中和市 MRT 接駁bus
- 永和市民免費接駁車
- 五股鄉接駁巴士
- 蘆洲市社區巴士
- 林口鄉免費社區巴士
- 八里鄉社區免費巴士