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YouBike, or Taipei Bike Sharing System, is a public bicycle sharing service offered by Taipei City Department of Transportation in a BOT collaboration with local manufacturer Giant Bicycles. As of 26 May 2016, service stations in the bike system are available in Taipei City, New Taipei City, Taoyuan City, Hsinchu City, Taichung City, and Changhua County. In Taipei City, rental is NT$5 for the first 30 minutes of use and adopts progressive tolls from NT$10 to NT$40 thereafter. No other fee, such as yearly deposit, is required. In New Taipei City, Taichung City and Chunghua County, rental is free for the first 30 minutes. There is a 15-minute renewal restriction period at the station to which the bike was returned.
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In 2014, the system saw 22 million rentals, double the 11 million rentals the previous year, with 196 rental stations circulating 6,046 bikes.
History
Launched in 2009, the system initially saw an unexpectedly small number of daily users in the trial district of Xinyi. This prompted the city's Department of Transportation (zh) to expand the system along the Taipei Metro lines and into several more districts. The slow initial adoption of YouBike rentals was overcome through adjusting the business model, such as by lowering rates (including making the first 30 minutes free of charge), and increasing ways to open an account (online via the YouBike website or at the kiosks). In April 2015, the Taipei Department of Transportation began charging YouBike riders for the first 30 minutes of use.
Bikes
According to the company, each of the system’s bikes costs about NT$10,000 (US$330) because they are designed to withstand frequent use. The bicycles are built to be used 13 times a day on average, much more often than the twice daily use that most other bicycles average. Each bicycle has an RFID tag for vehicle tracking and theft prevention.