YouBike program kicks off, now available to Taipei public

“'Building a Green City' is the development goal of Taipei City government,” said Hau during the event. The practices are to encourage a healthy lifestyle and to promote environment-friendly and accessible public policies.

“The YouBike Public Bicycle System is based on the above principles and aims to make Taipei City a greener city by providing public bicycles for short range transportation since they produce little pollution and are more energy efficient,” he added.

Hau gave positive examples of public bike use by referencing YouBike's French predecessor, the Velib. “After Paris launched the Velib, the user number in the first year totaled 27,000,000. The fluidly of traffic flow in the city increased by 70% and it successfully transformed the Parisian lifestyle.”

“It is the Taipei City government's wish that Taipei denizens will follow suit and protect the environment,” he added. Hau then urged everyone to respect and share the bicycles.

The first phase of the YouBike Public Bicycle System, beginning from March 11th to April 10th, makes YouBikes available at Bicycle Parking Meters in five areas, including Xinyi Square, the City Hall Square, Taipei City Hall, MRT Taipei City Hall Station, and TWTC Hall 3.

The second phase will begin on April 11th and plans to open six additional Bicycle Parking Meters, which will make a total of 11 stations available to the public.

Liu Jin-biao, CEO of Giant Manufacturing Co. Ltd, the maker of the YouBikes, explained that the top-quality bicycles were one-of-a-kind.

The high temperature and humid climate in Taipei requires anti-rust design in order to prolong its life, said Liu. While a three-gear shift enables high padding efficiency so that the riders can ride with ease.

The wrap-up design enables ladies in long skirts to ride without worrying about the draw-in problem. The dynamo hub can generate power for the front and rear lights automatically, and keep the rear light on even when riders are not padding.

Lastly, the components are designed to be hard-to-dismantle for safety reasons; patented burglarproof lock and advanced RFID chip technology were all included to provide an efficient and thief-proof rental process.

“We have brought a world class design to serve the Taiwanese public. We must all have faith now, that everyone will take good care of them,” Liu said.

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