New YouBike Registration Policy Creates Hurdles for Foreigners in Taipei

The News Lens
Date: 2019/12/16
By: Daphne K. Lee

A new regulation prompting YouBike to require personal information for membership registration excludes foreign residents from being insured at the moment.

YouBike, Taipei’s citywide bicycle rental system, adopted a new membership policy on December 1, effectively preventing all foreigners from registering for the service.

The new policy requires users to register with a Taiwanese mobile number, an EasyCard, and a local Taiwanese ID card, and a birthday. Foreign IDs, including Alien Resident Certificates (ARC) and Alien Permanent Resident Card (APRC), are not permitted according to YouBike. Before the new policy, YouBike registration simply required an EasyCard and a local phone number.

“Considering how widely used YouBike is, this is a fairly discriminatory policy,” said James Bell, 34, a Taipei resident from New Zealand. “Many of us have given years of service to Taiwan and pay taxes like everyone else, but we’re made to jump through hoops to use a normal public service.”

Taipei’s Department of Transportation (DOT) said the new requirement is an effort to enforce personal injury and third-party liability insurance. Once YouBike riders enter their personal information, they are automatically insured against accidental injuries. However, the insurance scheme is strictly for citizens only.    [FULL  STORY]