In order to cater to the needs of county citizens traveling to Xitou Scenic Area in Nantou County, Changhua County Magistrate Ming-Ku, Wei and his staff at the county government have successfully obtained direct bus transportation to Xitou. The two city bus routes include: Route 9 bus from Changhua Station to Xitou, which commenced soft opening on September 1; the other is route 10 from Yuanlin Transfer Station to Xitou, which commenced a soft opening on September 2. In order to spread the news to county citizens, maiden voyage ceremony for route 9 bus from Changhua Station to Xitou was held at the County Government Square in the morning of the 31st, and Changhua County Magistrate Ming-Ku, Wei, Directorate General of Highways (DGH) Taichung Motor Vehicle Office Deputy-director Fang-Tien, Cheng and Changhua Bus Chairman Chin-Chun, Huang all attended the function. County Magistrate Wei hopes to spare county citizens from arduous journeys through the direct bus to Xitou, benefitting local residents.
According to County Magistrate Wei, there are about 200,000 senior citizens above the age of 65 in Changhua County, and so Changhua County government has set aside budget to assist senior citizens with free public transportation. Each person is subsidized at NT$1,000 per month and NT$12,000 per year. So far, 100,000 citizens have applied for Senior Citizen Travel Card, and the public may board the bus with Senior Citizen Travel Card or Senior Citizen Welfare Card.
County Magistrate Wei pointed out that the public has long hoped for the bus route connecting Changhua, Yuanlin directly to Xitou. Since the route passes through expressway, highway and Nantou, therefore approval must be obtained before the bus could be launched. After negotiations between Changhua County Government, DGH and Nantou County Government, a preliminary consensus was reached. During the soft opening period, bus frequency will be adjusted according to the citizens’ usage. He also thanked Changhua Bus Company and Yuanlin Bus Company for servicing Changhua County citizens at all costs. It is hoped that the senior citizens and public will take advantage of this service; everyone should all enjoy hiking to train their fitness in order to live healthy, long lives.
According to DGH Taichung Motor Vehicle Office Deputy-director Fang-Tien, Cheng, the soft opening for direct buses from Changhua to Xitou begins today. However, it has not been smooth sailing to reach this stage of development, with the County Magistrate Wei playing a pivotal role in materializing the welfare for county citizens. Previously, citizens traveling to Xitou needed to make use of transportation at THSR Taichung Station, now the direct bus to Xitou saves considerable time for travelers, benefitting them tremendously. He also thanked Changhua Bus Company and Yuanlin Bus Company for cooperating with the policy and servicing local residents.
Changhua Bus Chairman Chin-Chun, Huang thanked County Magistrate Wei and all organizations involved in making the direct route from Changhua to Xitou possible. He also reminded senior citizens to buckle up while onboard the bus, since the route passes through both highway and mountainous roads. Please also pay attention to the return bus schedule in order to ensure a smooth journey.
Changhua City Mayor Chien-Fu, Chiu indicated that thanks to County Magistrate Wei, the coveted Changhua to Xitou bus route finally started its soft opening, hence the information will be propagated to 72 communities and 73 villages in Changhua City, so that senior citizens, retired public servants or students may take advantage of the convenience of public transportation. Making a profit is not the primary goal here, the ultimate objective is to serve the public, this in the future Changhua City Office and Changhua County Government will collaborate to design and launch two days and one night events to increase the revenue of Changhua Bus Company and Yuanlin Bus Company.
Previously, in order to reach Xitou by city bus or highway coach, Changhua County citizens had to transfer at least 2 to 3 times due to the lack of a direct bus route. This was extremely inconvenient because a single journey usually required up to 3 hours. Consequently, the county government pulled out all the stops in looking after the county citizens by developing 2 new bus routes connecting Changhua City and Yuanlin City to Xitou. The routes pass utilizes both highways and expressways, offering county residents the most direct means of transportation, reducing a single journey to within 80 minutes, making it an exceptionally convenient and competitive mode of transport.
The soft opening for the Changhua-Xitou bus commenced the day after the maiden voyage ceremony. The bus station is located at Changhua Bus Changhua Station (No. 563, Sec. 1, Zhongzheng Rd., Changhua City). There are 3 return buses each day, departing at 07:20, 07:40 and 08:00 in the morning, and returning from Xitou at 14:00, 14:30 and 15:00 in the afternoon. Full fare from Changhua to Xitou is NT$157 (half fare at $79); full fare from Yuanlin to Xitou is NT$141 (half fare at NT$72). All county citizens are welcome to make use of the service, and senior citizens can board the bus using Senior Citizen Happiness Card or Senior Citizen Travel Card.
The county government has strived to advance public transportation in recent years. Besides developing new city bus routes, the creation of other measures to improve bus service, such as bus transfer stations, smart bus stations, dynamic bus information app and purchasing accessible buses has also significantly improved people’s willingness to utilize public transport. In the future, the county government will continue expanding bus services in order to facilitate transport convenience.
Information courtesy of Changhua County Government official website.