Institute of Transportation, MOTC

• Date：2023-09-27
• Update：2024-01-31
• Department：Transportation Technology and Information Division

       Now in the fifth year of Kaohsiung City’s MaaS, it has collaborated with Japan’s Odakyu Electric Railway Co., Ltd. to develop a more convenient cross-border transportation system and upgrade to Asia’s first cross-border MaaS service system. In light of this, the Institute of Transportation, MOTC, and the Transportation Bureau of the Kaohsiung City Government held a press conference on September 27 to announce the start of MaaS cross-border collaboration between Taiwan and Japan, which began with the exchange of pass tickets. MeNGo members were eligible to participate in the “ENODEN 1-DAY PASS TICKET “NORIORIKUN” raffle draw, which featured up to 400 prizes.

       Since 2018, the Institute of Transportation, MOTC and the Transportation Bureau of the Kaohsiung City Government have worked together to promote their MaaS Program. Kaohsiung has become the first city in Asia to promote MaaS services by integrating the Kaohsiung Metro, Light Rail, ferries, buses, shared bicycles, and other modes of transportation and issuing the MeNGo Card. It has been five years since the services went online, and the integrated modes of transportation have continuous grown in variety. Since 2021, the services have been handed over to the Kaohsiung City Government’s Transportation Bureau to continue operations while expanding and optimizing the service scope. So far, total sales of pass tickets have exceeded 630,000, with over 2.568 million total riderships. In addition, excellent results have been achieved in service plans and international marketing. The APEC Energy Smart Communities Initiative Knowledge Sharing Platform (ESCI-KSP) has awarded the implementation results a silver medal in the category of smart transportation.

In order to expand cross-border international collaboration, the Institute of Transportation, MOTC assisted the Transportation Bureau of Kaohsiung City Government and Japan’s Odakyu Electric Railway Co., Ltd. in signing a Memorandum of Cooperation in 2022, establishing a partnership between MeNGo and Odakyu Electric Railway Co., Ltd. To further promote their cross-border application services and to initiate a cooperative relationship through tourism and travel passes. 400 “Enoden 1-day Pass “Noriorikun” tickets were offered to the vast MeN Go fanbase as a gesture of appreciation. To be eligible to participate in the raffle, starting today (September 27), completes the following steps: They consist of: (1) Click like on the MeN Go fan page; (2) Post “@Birthday greetings to MeN Go from three friends and receive Odakyu multiple-trip tickets.” Winners will be able to redeem Enoden 1-day Pass Tickets “Noriorikun!” upon presenting proof of membership and an airline ticket to Tokyo within one month. For activity specifics and guidelines, please visit the “MeN Go Facebook Fan Club.”

        This morning (September 27), the inauguration ceremony took place. The Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association presented the Enoden 1-day Pass Tickets “Noriorikun on behalf of Odakyu Electric Railway Co., Ltd. to Director Lin Chi-Kuo of the Institute of Transportation, MOTC and Director-general Chang Shu-Chuan of the Transportation Bureau of Kaohsiung City Government. Taiwan side returned the “MenN Go Pass Ticket” in exchange, initiating substantial cooperation between the two parties. Concurrently, a cake was sliced to celebrate MeN Go’s fifth birthday and to wish “Taiwan and Japan’s cross-border services” success.

Photo1.   Director Lin Chi-Kuo of the Institute of Transportation, MOTC, Director-general Chang Shu-Chuan of the Transportation Bureau, Kaohsiung City Government, Deputy Director Kenichiro Edada of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association, a MeN Go boy, and Japanese friends cutting the cake together.