Seniors’ EasyCard system has loophole that needs fixing

The value-added cards, which are widely used throughout the greater Taipei area’s Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and bus systems, offer unlimited discounted rides at 60 percent off within the MRT system for citizens over 65. Senior citizen EasyCards also offer 60 free bus rides per month, and 50 percent discounts after that.

Senior citizens who hold EasyCards must provide proof of age and identity every six months in order to renew them.

Still, according to statistics by Taipei City’s Bureau of Social Affairs, between 2006 and September of this year, senior citizen EasyCards have been used by unlawful holders up to 2,532 times on the bus and 846 times on the MRT during the window of time before they expired, which breaks down to an average of 13.8 bus rides and 4.6 bus rides per day.

City councillors Li Chien-chang, Hsu Shu-hua and Huang Hsiang-chun called for the bureau to work with the appropriate parties to effect corrective measures in order to address this “loophole” in the system.

The bureu said it would work with the Taipei Smart Card Corporation (TSCC), which manufactures the EasyCard, to come up with a method to correct the problem, and will look into reducing the amount of time in between renewals.

A public relations specialist at TSCC, Liu Jung, told the United Daily News that the company already receives a monthly report from the bureau of deceased persons and those who have registered a new address outside of the greater Taipei area. MRT station employees and bus drivers also conduct spot checks to confirm the identity of senior citizen EasyCard holders, Liu added.

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