Hau made the call at an activity hosted by the Taipei Smart Card Corp. to celebrate breaking the 9 million mark for issuance of the multi-purpose IC cards for Taipei’s mass rapid transport system, buses and parking lots.

Hau expressed approval of the company’s efforts, which have made Easy Card the largest-circulation card of its kind in Taiwan, and the sixth-largest among Asian cities. He said that in the near future, when the cable car between the zoo and the Maokung tea-production area in the Mucha district is inaugurated, people can also use the card to pay for the cable car and for visits to the zoo.

The city government has also been working with the Taipei County, Keelung City and Taoyuan County governments in an effort to expand Easy Card applications to public transport all over northern Taiwan, Hau added, noting that the city government has also begun efforts to encourage the railway and high-speed railway system operators to adopt the card.

In the celebration, professional tennis players Chan Yung-jan and Chuang Chia-jung, who reached the finals in the women’s doubles in the Australia Open earlier this year, touted the smart card and hosted a charity auction for limited edition Easy Cards carrying their images.