Implementing Agency:
City Government of Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Year Implemented:
2018-present
Theme:
Digitization & New Technologies
General Description
The Men.Go mobile application is a Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) initiative that aims to increase the use of public transport by providing an integrated platform with convenient features such as journey planning, real-time update, and online payment integration.
Background and Problem
Kaohsiung has an extensive public transport system composed of a network of railways, buses, ferries, bike rental and sharing, and scooter sharing stations. However, despite the presence of such infrastructure, the market share of public transport in Kaohsiung is only 9.88%, far behind scooters and motorcycles (65.14%) and private cars (20.4%).
Solution and Impact
To increase the market share of public transport, the Kaohsiung City Government decided to implement a MaaS initiative. It aims to contribute to the reduction of accidents and pollution by encouraging citizens to use the public or service-based transportation instead.
This led to the development of Men.Go, an integrated platform that brings together all available public transport options into a single intuitive app that can do everything from travel planning to payments. The app has three main features: journey planning, real-time transportation updates, and an online payment portal that offers a range of packages for passengers to choose from depending on their transportation needs.
Milestones
From 28 September 2018 to 30 June 2020, the MaaS initiative has registered over 27,400 members, sold over 124,000 package passes, and recorded approximately 1,000,500 trips. It has also contributed to increasing ridership, as 21% of MaaS users are new users of public transport services.
Photos
Men.Go App (Source: Kaohsiung City Government)
Men.Go Adult and Student Cards (Source: C.H. Chen)
Public transportations where Men.Go Cards can be used (Source: Kaohsiung City Government)
Sources
Chen, C.H. (2018, December 27-28). Kaohsiung MaaS initiatives [Conference session]. Asia Pacific Symposium on Mobility as a Service, National Taiwan Service and IATSS, Taiwan.
Chou, J. (2019, October 18). The Best Practice of MaaS in Kaohsiung, Taiwan [PowerPoint slides]. Smart Asia (India Expo and Summit), Bombay Exhibition Center, Mumbai.
Central News Agency. (2018, February 28). EPA to encourage public transport use with ‘green points’. Taiwan News. Retrieved from https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3373614.