Travel between the coastal area and urban Taichung will soon become faster and more convenient. To continue improving the quality of public transportation services, the Transportation Bureau of Taichung City Government announced that starting May 25, Route 651 will undergo route and operating adjustments. In addition to extending the full route to Shuntian Junior High School in Dajia, a new Route 651 Branch Line will also be added to provide direct service to the city center. By traveling via the Dajia Interchange on National Freeway No. 3, travel time is expected to be reduced by approximately 20 to 30 minutes, offering commuters and students a more efficient travel option. The Transportation Bureau stated that it has worked with Central Taiwan Bus to review the bus network in the coastal area, examining and optimizing the overall transportation needs of Dajia District, Da’an District, and Waipu District. After analyzing Route 651 ridership data and travel patterns over the years, it found that some services detouring through Waipu District had relatively low passenger volume, while most commuters preferred direct service to the city center. Accordingly, a branch line operating model has been introduced, with some services adjusted into faster direct routes in order to improve overall transportation efficiency. Chao-Fu Yeh, Director General of the Transportation Bureau, pointed out that all existing Route 651 services originally passed through Waipu District and Houshen Road. In order to improve the operating performance of the bus operator, and after analyzing smart card data and gathering local feedback, the city decided that from May 25 onward, the original Route 651 will continue to serve Waipu District and residents along the route to meet local travel needs, while the new branch line will give passengers greater flexibility based on the purpose of their trip. On both weekdays and holidays, 12 services will be adjusted to become the Route 651 Branch Line. After stopping at Dajia East New Town, the route will connect directly to the Dajia Interchange on National Freeway No. 3 and head straight into urban Taichung, giving commuters and students a faster, more stable, and more differentiated transportation option. The Transportation Bureau stated that, as part of this route adjustment, the Dajia terminal will also be extended from the Dajia District Office to Shuntian Junior High School. In addition to strengthening bus services around the campus, this change will make commuting to and from school more convenient for students and reduce the inconvenience of transfers. By extending the route into the school community, the city hopes to encourage more students to use public transportation and further advance transportation equity. With regard to the working environment for drivers, the Transportation Bureau has also optimized dispatching conditions. Public restrooms and rest facilities are available near Shuntian Junior High School, providing drivers with suitable places to rest and wash up. This will help reduce fatigue from long hours of driving and improve both traffic safety and service quality. The Transportation Bureau explained that the optimization of Route 651 addresses passenger demand, operating efficiency, and driver welfare, creating multiple benefits. Through the newly launched express branch line, extended service points, and improved working conditions, overall public transportation capacity in the coastal area will be significantly enhanced. In the future, the Bureau will continue to review the operating performance of each route on a rolling basis and optimize the network according to actual demand, with the goal of building a more convenient and user friendly public transportation system. The Transportation Bureau added that with the upgraded coastal bus network and seamless transportation connections, commuters and students traveling to and from urban Taichung will be able to save considerable travel time. Transportation resources will also be allocated more precisely to routes with higher demand, achieving a more optimal distribution of transport capacity. For more information on these adjustments, please check Taichung Bus Real-Time Information (https://citybus.taichung.gov.tw/) and the Taichung Go app for real-time updates and route inquiries.