Biking together to change the ways we use roads

Words by Lai Yu-heng
Translated by Angela Cheng
Photos by Chen Bo-lin, Luo You-chen

Transportation is vital to the city, with urban development, living and cultural exchanges all closely linked to this. As part of its rail and road transportation planning, Taichung has promoted the "mountain loop" and "central loop" as main connections to other cities and counties, and as a means of conveniently and quickly linking all of Taichung's regions. The MRT, BRT, bus, public bike system and other public transportation systems have boosted Taichung public transportation efficiency and help meet public needs for fast, convenient travel as well as recreation.

Taichung has been labeled as the global "bicycle kingdom", in part because it is the bicycle industry's "hometown". In Taiwan from the 1970s through the early 2000s, the number of privately owned cars and motorcycles steadily grew to the point where most families owned a car. With changing times, people are now paying more attention to environmental issues such as the greenhouse effect and global warming, leading residents to seek out low and reduced carbon forms of transport. Taiwan also has many narrow alleys, cultural attractions and beautiful countryside scenery to be found off the main roads, making a bicycle the most convenient transportation option besides walking. Following Taipei's successful experience with its YouBike system, many Taiwanese cities have begun to head in the same direction, with Taichung city officially inaugurating its own iBike public bicycle rental system in July, 2014.

　
Left: The "manual taxi" iBike has zero fuel costs and inexpensive rental fees, is low-carbon and healthy, and has become the latest trend in Taichung.
Right: iBike sites are situated around popular attractions and transportation hubs to be convenient for residents and visitors traveling to nearby destinations.

Bicycling the last mile for sightseeing and school
The iBike public bicycle rental system offers benefits to users by providing a free ride for the first 30 minutes (confirm details and deadlines for this special offer on the official iBike website). The location of public-bicycle rentals is considered the final piece of the transportation puzzle and the city government hopes that people will be able to ride the MRT, BRT and bus and then use iBikes to complete the final mile of a commute to school or a sightseeing journey.

iBike uses a full-time electronic automated unmanned management system, with bike rentals via an electric ticket (now an Easy Card) and credit card. One just logs in to become a user, able to use bikes anytime over 24 hours, picking up a bike at point "A" and dropping it off at point "B". The first 30 minutes is free of charge, with NT$10 charged per 30 minutes within the first four hours, rising to NT$20 from four to eight hours, and NT$40 for rentals over eight hours. Besides signing up to rent a bike with an Easy Card, you can also use a credit card, or pay at a Chunghwa Telecom office.

iBike sites are gradually expanding to cover schools, shopping centers, transportation hubs, tourist attractions, department stores, parks and other locations. Currently, 18 stations have officially opened with around 200,000 iBike users so far. Eight new stations are being set up at the Dadun Cultural Center, Gongyi Park, HanXiang and FuXing North roads intersection, Taichung Park, XueShi and YuDe roads intersection, old Taichung city hall, YuDe and MeiChuan East roads intersection, and Fulfillment Amphitheater, and will be open for use when electrical power is hooked up. With the steady growth in the frequency and number of users, the Transportation Bureau is planning to set up rental stations (1,500 bikes) by the end of next year, with the longer-term goal of 200 stations after three years. It also plans to erect additional signage around iBike rental sites advocating a "pedestrians first, pedestrians priority" policy to promote bicycling safety when sharing the same areas with walkers.

Taichung-Changhua sites for low-carbon bicycle tours
The slogan of Taichung's public bicycle rental system is "I bike, You bike, We bike together". Of course, doing this not only offers convenient transportation to residents but also provides a great option that allows visitors to "smell the roses" and take their time enjoying Taichung. The city originally set up several bike routes covering the greenery-covered Calligraphy Greenway, Maple Valley Park, the lively, trendy Fengjia Night Market, and new world-famous attraction National Taichung Theater. Routes even extend to the Hanxi waterway in Dakeng, the Taiping district suburbs and neighboring Changhua county, providing a variety of different urban and rural tourism experiences for visitors. The Taichung iBike and Changhua YouBike systems are linked as one, meaning that if you are already registered as user in Changhua county (including Yuanlin and Lukang townships), Taipei and New Taipei City, you don't need to re-register to use an iBike in Taichung.

Riding on an iBike--regardless of whether you are using it as a form of public transportation, are taking a leisurely recreational evening ride, are a visitor wanting to slowly explore and get to know the city, or are motivated by environmental protection, health, convenience or money-saving--this "manual taxi" undoubtedly will offer you something truly unique. In order to transform Taichung into a "low-carbon city", we can all bike together now!