《TAIPEI TIMES》 Taipei MRT system sees 10 billionth passenger

‘CLEAN AND BRIGHT’: The Taipei MRT System has become an important part of city residents’ daily lives as well as a source of pride, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je said

By Lee I-chia / Staff reporter

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The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit （MRT） system recorded its 10 billionth ride at noon yesterday, the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said, adding that the 10 billionth passenger would receive one year of free rides on the system.

The lucky passenger rode the Zhonghe-Xinlu Line （中和新蘆線） and exited the MRT Sinjhuang （新莊） Station at 11:35am, the company said.

In addition to a year of unlimited rides, the passenger would be given a notebook computer worth more than NT$30,000, the company said.

The passenger’s transportation smart card number is 9122117626706366, it added.

Ten other passengers — the five people who rode the MRT before and after the 10 billionth passenger — would receive 90 days of free rides, it said, adding that their card numbers have been announced on the company’s Web site.

The winners should contact the firm before midnight on April 30, it said.

At an event in Taipei’s Daan Forest Park （大安森林公園） on Saturday celebrating 10 billion rides on the Taipei MRT, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je （柯文哲） said that the system was launched in 1996 and has been operating for 23 years.

About 40,000 rides were recorded per day when it was launched and now about 2.1 million rides are recorded per day, he said.

The system has become an important part of Taipei residents’ daily lives, as well as something that the city is proud of, Ko said.

It has many aspects that city residents are proud of, such as its cleanness and brightness, the culture of lining up to get on the trains, as well as offering priority seats to those in need, he said.

The company is also mulling incorporating more artistic and aesthetic elements into the MRT stations, such as the underground bookstore lane at the Zhongshan Metro Mall and street dance events in stations, he said.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES

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