Taipei Metro, like many metro systems, has been impacted by COVID-19. However, this wasn’t Taipei Metro’s or Taiwan’s first time dealing with a serious epidemic. The SARS epidemic in 2003 would forever change Taipei Metro’s preparedness for future pandemics. The good news is that planning works. In January of this year, all levels of government in Taiwan were very quick to respond to COVID-19 as they had contingency plans over a decade in the making ready to go. As a result of this preparation, Taipei Metro’s ridership losses in 2020 have been less extreme than other cities. No cases of transmission have been traced to the metro system. This lack of transmission is despite having confirmed cases ride the metro system before being diagnosed. Since ridership has been stable, weekday schedules remain normal and there have been only small adjustments to the weekend schedule.
Taipei Metro COVID-19 Response Timeline:
•January 21st: First reported COVID-19 case in Taiwan.
•January 24th: All front line staff wearing masks.
•January 30th: Train disinfection and cleaning increased.
•February 3rd: Passengers are encouraged to wear masks while riding the metro system and to wash hands frequently. PSA video featuring Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je played on station platforms and trains.
•February 19th: All information counters provide disinfectant spray for passenger use.
•February 27th: Stations cleaners use disinfectant spray machines to increase their cleaning capabilities at station platforms.
•February 29th: The first infrared temperature scanner is set up at the fare gates at Taipei Main station. Passengers with a fever over 38 degrees celsius refused entry into the system.
•March 18th: Infrared scanners setup at the 9 highest passengers volume stations. Passengers with a fever over 38 degrees celsius refused entry into the system.
•April 4th: Passengers required to wear masks on the metro system and in shops in the underground metro mall.
•April 5th: Staff intercepted 10,000 passengers at fare gates who were not wearing face masks. Thes wore one after being reminded of the new rule. An additional 1,100 were intercepted but chose to leave the station instead of riding the metro.
•June 7th: After 56 days of no local cases masks are still required at the fare gates but are now allowed to be taken off if passengers are able to maintain a social distance of at least 1.5 meters while on the train.
Prior to masks being required to ride Taipei Metro, many passengers were already starting to wear masks in February due to messages from political leaders such as Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je who filmed a PSA video of himself riding Taipei Metro that was played on all MRT station TVs. There was also general messaging from Taiwan’s CDC to wear masks in crowded spaces. In 2003, masks on Taipei Metro were also mandatory for a period of time and Taipei Metro actually even sold masks inside metro stations. The mask rules back then played a part in regaining the trust of the riding public in the safety of the system.
As domestic mask production led by the central government began to increase this year, transportation agencies began to discuss creating a standard mask requirement that would apply on all buses, trains, taxis, and other forms of transportation. The mayors of Taipei City and New Taipei City were in agreement that a standardized policy should be put into effect and the central government followed through on providing guidance nationwide.
On April 4th, 2020, a uniform mask requirement on all forms of public transportation went into effect. Officials credit the simplicity of the rule and that it applied to all forms of public transportation as one of the reasons the policy was able to succeed. The success of the mask rule was also due to intense public education efforts. Metro staff at fare gates held signs in English and Chinese informing passengers of the mask rule and the fines for not complying.
The fines were set at 15,000 NTD for not listening to staff reminders to wear a mask and staff at the gates would stop passengers without a mask from entering. The mask rule was also announced over the PA system and TV screens on station platforms and trains. Taiwan’s CDC also aired advertisements on all of Taiwan’s television channels encouraging the public to wear masks in crowded spaces such as public transportation.
As with any rule there will always be a few folks that are non-compliant. For these cases Taipei Metro staff will first ask the passenger to wear a mask. If the passenger does not have a mask staff will then offer them one. If they refuse the offer they will then be escorted out of the station either by station staff or security with the potential maximum fine of 15,000 NTD. A few incidents of staff having to escort non-complying passengers off the system have gone viral with the public applauding metro staff for their hard work in keeping everyone else safe. Universal mask wearing on public transit allows trains to run at normal capacity without social distancing requirements as usually required by Taiwan’s CDC.
Washing hands and keeping surfaces clean is another core pillar of epidemic prevention. All Taipei Metro stations have spray bottles with alcohol solution at the information booths in addition to public restrooms where passengers can wash their hands. Trains and frequently touched surfaces are disinfected every four hours and deep cleaned by cleaning crews at the end of each day. For the end of day deep clean, regular cleaning staff have also been supplemented by outside contractors for cleaning trains while in the depot. Since Taipei Metro is not a 24/7 system there is time from 12:30-5:30AM to deep clean the trains.
Discouraging people with fevers from riding the system is another important strategy Taipei Metro implemented. At nine high volume stations infrared temperature scanners staffed by two metro employees at each booth were set up. Station fare gates were re-configured to only allow entry in certain parts of the station so that all entering passengers at these designated stations would pass by a booth. Since all stations weren’t covered this was more part of a reminder campaign to passengers not to ride the metro while sick. Similar temperature booths were implemented for Taiwan High Speed Rail, Taoyuan Metro, and other Taiwan Railway stations. Buses did not have temperature checks except at terminal stations for long-distance buses.
Lastly, Taipei Metro worked to keep their staff healthy by requiring masks for all employees, checking temperatures of staff daily, and splitting up essential staff into separate working groups. At the beginning of the pandemic masks were scarce, so Taipei Metro worked to ensure all frontline workers had masks while supply was still scaling up nationally. These efforts helped ensure staff could keep the system running even if the COVID-19 situation became more serious.
Six months after the first measures were being implemented at Taipei Metro, the system is now promoting metro accessible tourism spots as part of it’s “new normal” campaign. Mask rules have been slightly eased to acknowledge the fact that it’s been over 70 days without any local cases in Taiwan.
In practice, masks are pretty much required to use Taipei Metro and staff will check if you have a mask at the fare gates. In theory, masks can now be taken off on the platform or train if a passenger is able to keep over 1.5 meter distance from other passengers which is almost never possible. Regardless, Taipei Metro and Taiwan’s CDC has decided being cautious is better than being complacent and have promoted mask wearing as the “new normal” for public transportation for the foreseeable future. As metro systems around the world begin to make their contingency plans for future pandemics, they should take note of Taipei Metro’s fast and decisive response so that they can maintain a safe system and minimize ridership loses.
For the official list of internal policies for Taipei Metro read this city memo.
