Free Bus Rides on Major Festival Days in Kaohsiung this Year
The mayor of the city of Kaohsiung, Chen Chu, recently announced that on 41 major festival days in 2010, including both the New Year and the Lunar New Year, everyone can use the city’s public bus system for free. It is estimated that over these 41 days there will be a total of more than two million individual trips taken. There will also be a special bonus for those renting public-use bikes on these days: the first 30 minutes are to be free for non-members of the system, the first 60 minutes will be free for members. The days in question include the three-day New Year holiday period, the six-day Lunar New Year holiday period, the three days surrounding the Qing Ming Festival/Tomb Sweeping Day, one day each for the Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival, the nine days of the Zuoying Wannian Folklore Festival, and one day for Double Tenth Day.

The Kaohsiung City Transportation Bureau has also announced a two-month trial period for the city’s new amphibious “duck” boats, the first such service in Taiwan and the fourth in Asia. It is anticipated that full operations will be formally launched on March 2. Full tickets will be NT$300 per person, and preferential tickets will be NT$150. This kind of service, popular elsewhere around the world, will be a boon to tourism in Kaohsiung, and it is reported that the cities of Taipei, Keelung, and Taichung are already planning similar service.