Taipei Mayoral Rivals Pitch NT$399 Bus Pass, Electric YouBikes and New Urban Renewal Rules

Cheaper commutes and faster rebuilding take centre stage

Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an proposed a NT$399 monthly bus pass, while Democratic Progressive Party challenger Puma Shen called for electric YouBikes to be included in the NT$1,200 T-Pass, as the two candidates presented competing plans for transportation and aging housing at a televised policy presentation Saturday.

Chiang, of the Kuomintang, said his proposed pass would cover unlimited bus rides in Taipei and New Taipei and benefit about 300,000 people. Shen focused on helping passengers reach stations and their final destinations, proposing connected bicycle trails, two new bridges across the Keelung River and cheaper access to electric bicycles.

Their housing proposals would put the city government to work at different points in redevelopment. Chiang wants officials to begin assisting communities once half of property owners support exploring renewal. Shen wants the city to use nearby public land to help residents move out of aging buildings and get stalled projects moving.

For residents, the choices concern two practical costs: how much they pay to travel each month, and what happens to their home while an old building is repaired or replaced. The candidates also disagree over whether urban renewal needs an easier starting point or stronger intervention later, when projects struggle to reach construction.

What would the NT$399 bus pass change?

Chiang said the existing NT$1,200 T-Pass leaves a gap for people who mainly use buses. His proposed NT$399 pass would offer a cheaper option for unlimited bus travel across Taipei and New Taipei, rather than requiring those passengers to buy the broader public transportation package.

The proposed monthly price is NT$801 below NT$1,200, a reduction of about 67 percent. That comparison matters most to commuters whose regular journeys can be completed by bus. Passengers who also need other forms of transportation would have to consider the cost of those journeys when choosing a pass.

Chiang's estimate of about 300,000 beneficiaries gives the proposal a defined target group. Its appeal rests on matching the fare product to passengers' actual travel habits: someone who takes buses every day has different needs from someone who regularly combines buses, trains and bicycles.

Shen targets the final stretch of a journey

Shen proposed integrating electric YouBikes into T-Pass to make public transportation more convenient. His argument is that a train or bus becomes more useful when passengers can easily cover the distance between a station and their home, workplace or school.

Electric YouBikes currently cost NT$20 per 30 minutes during the first two hours. Ordinary YouBikes already offer 30 minutes of free riding, and Shen said he would explore extending that benefit to electric models.

For a commuter making two electric bicycle journeys of up to 30 minutes each, the stated rate adds up to NT$40 a day. Across 20 commuting days, that would be NT$800. Extending the free period could therefore make a substantial difference to someone using an electric bicycle at both ends of a working day.

Shen also proposed connecting existing bicycle trails and building two bicycle bridges across the Keelung River. The bridges would extend the network, while better connections between existing routes would help turn separate stretches of cycling infrastructure into more continuous journeys.

The two transportation plans address different reasons people might avoid public transportation. Chiang would lower the price for bus passengers. Shen would make it easier and cheaper to reach public transportation in the first place, with the aim of reducing traffic congestion.

Help for old buildings before redevelopment

Shen's housing platform includes an old building life extension team to help residents find information about seismic safety, pipeline replacement, eligible facilities for people with mobility difficulties and rooftop improvements.

The proposal addresses needs that arise while residents are still living in an aging building. Earthquake safety concerns the structure itself, while pipeline work and accessibility improvements affect daily life, including whether older residents or people with disabilities can move around safely.

Shen's repair assistance and redevelopment proposals operate on different timescales. A community seeking information about replacing pipes may need help now, even while owners discuss whether to rebuild. A dedicated team would give those residents a clearer point of contact for understanding the work and assistance available.

How Shen's public land exchange would work

Shen proposed using nearby government land to build housing where residents of aging buildings could move temporarily, in exchange for their old homes. The city would take ownership of the old properties, giving it a larger role in assembling sites and advancing stalled renewal projects.

Under his proposal, the city could rent acquired units to new parents, young people or workers in the technology sector while continuing negotiations with residents who oppose redevelopment. The approach combines relocation, property acquisition and temporary rental use within a broader effort to get projects moving.

Residents would be dealing with more than a construction timetable. A housing exchange involves deciding how much an existing home is worth, what a household receives in return and what rights it retains during the move and redevelopment process.

Chen I-hsin, head of the KMT's communications committee, challenged Shen to explain the source of the public land, the valuation of exchanged homes, protections for residents and the financial burden on government. Those details, along with the transit proposals' funding arrangements and start dates, were not specified in the presentations described.

Chen's criticism puts the financial mechanics at the centre of the debate. Shen's approach would give government a more direct role in property transactions, making the terms offered to each household central to whether residents would participate.

What Chiang's 50 percent threshold means

Chiang proposed reducing the initial support threshold for city assistance from 75 percent to 50 percent. Officials would then help communities examine redevelopment options, explain owners' rights and potential benefits, and organise discussions earlier in the process.

At his October 16 announcement, Chiang specified that the change concerns entry into municipal assistance. Approval to begin construction would still require the project to complete the later redevelopment procedures. For a community, the immediate benefit would be earlier access to official advice and calculations.

The proposal would turn the existing 7599 programme into 5099. As explained in the earlier announcement, later stages would retain separate requirements, including milestones involving 90 percent participation or agreement before investment solicitation. Those stages include assessing property values and helping residents consider which apartments they could receive.

Chiang had already outlined the lower renewal entry threshold on October 16, alongside staffing and development incentives. At Saturday's presentation, he said his administration had previously lowered the starting threshold from 90 percent to 75 percent and now wanted to bring assistance forward again.

More applications, more staff and a dispute over delays

Shen argued that admitting more projects into the renewal process would achieve little unless the city also resolved the obstacles preventing construction. His criticism focuses on what happens after a community has begun discussions and submitted a proposal.

Chiang said the city planned to add 105 permanent positions at its urban regeneration office to accelerate project reviews. More staff would address the administrative workload associated with examining redevelopment proposals, alongside the effort to bring more communities into the programme.

The city also says annual urban renewal applications have risen to 2.3 times the previous average under its Eight Arrows policy package. That is an increase of 130 percent in applications, illustrating how much more work is entering the system.

Applicants still need their proposals to move through assessment, agreement and construction. The candidates' disagreement is therefore about which part of that process most needs attention: Chiang is proposing earlier assistance and more review staff, while Shen is proposing a larger government role in relocating residents and acquiring properties.

The city has also described possible statutory intervention where participation reaches 99 percent and only one or two households remain outside an agreement. Officials say clear principles and procedures would be established before such powers are used under the relevant laws, making protections for the remaining households part of the policy discussion.

How much extra building space is proposed?

Chiang's large block renewal proposal would raise the base floor area ratio from 225 percent to 300 percent for qualifying sites of at least 3,000 square metres near MRT stations or waterfronts. Projects would also have to incorporate public facilities.

A floor area ratio sets the amount of building floor space permitted relative to the land beneath it. At 225 percent, a site can have total floor space equal to 2.25 times its land area. At 300 percent, the figure becomes three times the land area, before considering other applicable rules or incentives.

For a qualifying site of 3,000 square metres, those ratios translate into 6,750 square metres and 9,000 square metres of base floor space. The proposed increase is 2,250 square metres, or about one third. A larger permitted development can give owners and developers more space to divide within the redevelopment arrangement.

Chiang said the incentive would allow residents to receive a larger share of redeveloped properties. The city's stated aim is also to encourage larger, coordinated projects that can make room for public facilities, rather than relying on isolated small sites. Areas discussed include the Tamsui and Keelung river corridors.

Public space plans face practical scrutiny

Shen's platform also includes a Civic Boulevard plan involving children's play areas, sports stations, night markets and cultural spaces beneath the elevated road, as well as an elevated walkway. The proposal would bring more recreational and commercial activity into space associated with a major traffic route.

Chen questioned where the walkway would go and how the project would affect the elevated structure, road safety, traffic, fire safety, air pollution, noise and nearby residents. His objections broadened the campaign debate from the attraction of new public spaces to the conditions needed to operate them.

Chen also pointed to Chiang's record on school walking routes, housing, childcare benefits and artificial intelligence education. As a KMT official, he was defending the incumbent's record while pressing Shen to provide policy costs and administrative arrangements.

For residents, both the boulevard proposal and the housing exchange plan would involve decisions about city land and how it is used. Their practical value would depend on the location, the people served and the arrangements for neighbours affected by construction or new activity.

How the proposals fit the election calendar

Urban renewal was already a point of disagreement before Saturday's televised presentation. Chiang had set out the lower assistance threshold in October, while Shen challenged whether easier entry would solve delays further along the process.

The main dates and developments are:

• October 16, 2026: Chiang proposed lowering the threshold for initial city assistance from 75 percent to 50 percent, increasing staffing and offering additional building capacity on qualifying sites.
• Saturday's televised presentation: The candidates presented their transportation plans and expanded on their approaches to aging buildings and stalled redevelopment.
• November 28, 2026: Taipei voters are scheduled to choose their mayor and city council members.

Voters are being offered different forms of municipal intervention. Chiang's plans centre on a cheaper bus product, earlier redevelopment assistance and incentives for larger projects. Shen's plans focus on bicycle connections, help maintaining old buildings and direct city involvement in housing exchanges.

The Essentials

• Chiang proposed a NT$399 monthly pass for unlimited bus rides in Taipei and New Taipei, estimating about 300,000 beneficiaries.
• Shen proposed bringing electric YouBikes into T-Pass, exploring free initial rides and building two bicycle bridges across the Keelung River.
• Shen's housing plans combine repair guidance with public land, relocation and property exchanges to address stalled renewal.
• Chiang's proposed 50 percent threshold would allow earlier municipal assistance; construction would require completion of later procedures.
• Qualifying renewal sites of at least 3,000 square metres could receive a base floor area ratio of 300 percent, up from 225 percent.
• The city plans 105 additional permanent urban regeneration positions to speed reviews.