Since the Central Taiwan TPASS monthly commuter pass was launched in July 2023, cumulative sales had exceeded one million passes as of June this year. The pass has been well received by commuters and students, driving continued ridership growth across public transport services, including Taiwan Railway, Taichung MRT, highway buses, city buses, and public bicycle services. The Transportation Bureau of Taichung City Government said that compared with 2022, total ridership across all TPASS transport modes within Taichung City increased by 22.4% in 2025, while total ridership across all transport modes under the Taichung-Changhua-Nantou-Miaoli intercity commuter pass grew by 25%, showing that TPASS has become the most affordable transport option for school and work commutes. Transportation Bureau Director-General Chao-Fu Yeh said Taichung City has continued its “Double Ten Bus” fare discount policy exclusively for residents and introduced TPASS monthly pass plans. The Taichung-Changhua-Nantou-Miaoli monthly commuter pass costs NT$699 per month for Taichung residents and NT$999 for non-residents, while the Taichung City monthly pass costs NT$299 per month for Taichung residents and NT$599 for non-residents. Currently, about 30,000 people purchase the passes each month on average. The passes have not only effectively reduced transport expenses for commuters and students, but have also increased people’s willingness to use public transport. Director-General Yeh pointed out that since the TPASS policy was introduced, public transport use across the Taichung-Changhua-Nantou-Miaoli living circle has increased significantly, with ridership growth especially notable on Taiwan Railway and Taichung MRT. The savings on transport expenses have also been strongly felt by users, fully demonstrating the effectiveness of the monthly pass policy. The Transportation Bureau continues to review TPASS discount measures on a rolling basis, improve the quality of public transport services, and work closely with the central government as well as the governments of Changhua County, Nantou County, and Miaoli County. Based on the existing consensus, the Bureau will give priority to ensuring stable operation of the system and providing the public with a more convenient and affordable transport environment. In response to demand for monthly pass use and to make purchases more convenient, the Transportation Bureau has further leveraged the advantages of convenience stores, which operate year-round and have dense service networks, to provide multiple purchase channels. The public can purchase EasyCard Central Taiwan TPASS monthly passes at FamilyMart FamiPort kiosks. They can also use EasyCard, iPASS, or icash at 7-Eleven ibon kiosks to purchase TPASS monthly commuter passes, making ticket purchases easy at any time of day. In addition to offering convenience store sales points that allow people to purchase passes whenever needed, the Transportation Bureau has also installed add-value ticket vending machines at all 18 Taichung MRT stations during operating hours. These machines provide TPASS monthly pass purchase and renewal services, and also support automatic top-ups by credit card and debit card. Passengers can first add value to their cards and then purchase a monthly pass directly, avoiding the inconvenience of insufficient balance and making the purchase process more convenient. Director-General Yeh said that in addition to providing discounted and convenient TPASS monthly passes, Taichung City continues to improve the overall operating environment for buses. In addition to adjusting fares and improving salaries and benefits for bus personnel, the city is actively optimizing drivers’ working conditions, reviewing route and depot resources, and gradually integrating route terminals into transfer centers and dispatch stations equipped with complete facilities such as restrooms and parking areas, including Fengyuan Transit Center and Taichung Harbor Passenger Service Center. These efforts allow drivers to have more comfortable waiting areas between shifts. The Transportation Bureau has also guided city bus operators in fully installing Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). About 1,300 buses citywide have now completed installation. The systems help drivers monitor blind spots, reduce driving risks, ease the workload on drivers, strengthen road safety, and create safer and higher-quality public transport services, providing residents with safe and convenient bus services.