A study of commuters’ transport modes choices and transport policy intentions

Abstract

Taiwan is a developing country, with a population of around 23 and a half million. The country’s recent increase in wealth has resulted, amongst other things, in more people aspiring to the lure of car ownership. In Taiwan in 2013, the average person owned 1.09 cars, and the average person owned 1.65 motorcycles. Since 2010, as part of their urban development to attract users to travel by public transport systems rather than by car, transport planners in Taipei have been implementing the MRT Tricyclic three-line construction, and the MRT Pilot Bus. The MRT Tricyclic three-line construction aims to encourage the public to travel by public transport, thereby decreasing the use of private transport in Taipei City and New Taipei City. The intention is to strengthen the role of New Taipei City within the Taipei metropolitan area, making it the most important investment in public transport within the next ten years. In 2010, the government designed MRT networks with New Taipei city at their centre, emphasizing the networks’ primary importance for New Taipei city. The unexpectedly high take-up of the MRT Pilot Bus services provided while the MRT Tricyclic three-line was under construction, showed the MRT Pilot Bus service provision to be an effective policy in persuading private transport users to switch from using private vehicles to using public transport. The paper concluded that transport policies and initiatives aimed at influencing people away from using motorized vehicle modes towards using more sustainable modes, should take a holistic approach, with two-way communication between the public and the government.