New regulations approved on transport e-cards

The draft rules were drawn up by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) in accordance with the nation’s Consumer Protection Law at the request of the Consumers’ Foundation.

The transport e-cards affected by the new regulations include prepaid e-cards issued by mass rapid transit (MRT) corporations, bus and railway companies, airlines and shipping firms as well as taxi firms and operators of the cable car systems like Maokong Gondola.

The rules requires all card-issuing organizations maintain adequate funds equal to the cards they sell.

They must deposit the money pre-paid by customers into special sealed accounts at financial institutions to ensure their ability to fulfill financial obligations to customers.

The money in the sealed fund is not allowed to be used by companies for other purposes.

The money deposited will include the total value stored or recharged in the e-cards by customers.

The upper storage limit for transport means must not exceed NT$10,000.

The rules prohibit the terms deemed as unfair for the customers.

Unless receiving prior approval from the MOTC, contracts used by companies that offer e-cards cannot contain terms like non-refundable clause after expiry dates, invalidation of the cards if they are smudged or damaged, or when the cards are lost or stolen.

Cards will be automatically nullified when terms violate the standard contracts set by the MOTC.

The companies are required to put all such relevant information conspicuously at their service areas, stations, and on their corporate Web sites.

The most popular transport e-card currently used in Taiwan is the electronic EasyCard used by commuters in the Greater Taipei area, accounting for the largest number of the more than 10 million cards.

The EasyCard is issued by Taipei Smart Card Corp. (TSCC) for Taipei Rapid Transit Corp. (TRTC) and bus companies for cardholders to easily take or transfer among all public transport services available, including buses and the MRT systems.

Cardholders can also use the e-cards to pay parking fees or for other purposes like taking the sightseeing Maokong Gondola cable car rides in Muzha District.

A growing number of transport service e-cards are now also in use in other metropolises like Taichung City in central Taiwan and Kaohsiung in the south.

Popular e-cards issued by other enterprises include the ETC cards from Far Eastern Electronic Toll Collection Co. (FETC) for motorists using the fast-track electronic toll collection (ETC) system on the country’s freeway networks without having to make stops at the toll gates.

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