TAIPEI, Taiwan -- The Ministry of Transport and Communications (MOTC) said Monday that it will express its objection to hikes on bullet train ticket prices in its capacity as the largest shareholder of Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation (THSRC) at the firm's board meeting next month.
▲圖／翻攝自中國郵報
The MOTC's Bureau of High Speed Rail announced Friday that it has adjusted the base rate for price per kilometer on high speed rail tickets from NT$4.009 to NT$4.134. The bureau is required by law to adjust the base rate when the consumer price index reaches an accumulated increase of more than 3 percent.
The new base rate can be used as a point of reference for price adjustments but any fare hike would require approval from the Legislative Yuan as the MOTC is the THSRC's largest shareholder.
Under the MOTC's new base rate, a single journey from Taipei to Kaohsiung on the Taiwan High Speed Rail can be increased by as much as NT$80, or 5.37 percent. The rail company confirmed it is considering fare hikes on Monday.
Currently, the ticket price for a single journey from Taipei to Kaohsiung is NT$1,490. This could rise to as high as NT$1,570 if calculated based on the newly adjusted price per kilometer.
The fare for a trip from Taipei to Taichung, currently NT$740, could rise by NT$40, while the price from Taipei to Tainan could increase by NT$75.
THSRC did not confirm or deny plans to hike prices, saying it would conduct an overall assessment of the company's financials and customer demand before having its board of directors decide on fare adjustments.
The firm first raised ticket prices in 2013, resulting in ticket prices increases ranging from 7 to 9.6 percent, pushing the Taipei-Kaohsiung single-trip fare to NT$1,630. In 2015, a government led financial restructuring resulted in the company returning fares to the same prices as when the line first opened in 2007.
Wages Aren't Going Up
The news of the potential price hike has not been well received by the public.
An unnamed commuter complained to local media that while prices were going up, wages remained stagnant.
"A return ticket from Taipei to Kaohsiung is already nearly NT$3,000. We don't wish to see any fare hikes, but what can you do? There's no other choice because the high-speed rail is the best way to go back to our homes in Southern Taiwan," the commuter said.
The THSR has shortened travel times between Taipei and Kaohsiung to as little as 80 minutes on its nonstop route, compared to nearly 5 hours by standard train or 6 hours by car. The convenience, however, comes at a price, with fares starting at NT$2,100 for a one-way ticket.
The median monthly wage for private sector workers in Taiwan dipped 0.6 percent to NT$40,612 (US$1,344) between 2015 and 2016, according to a Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics announcement last month.
It marked the highest percentage drop since 2013.
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