Taipei Allows Expats Back Into Bike-Sharing Program After Uproar
- Mayor Ko Wen-je orders city to overturn exclusionary policy
- Bicycle fiasco highlights struggle to compete with Asian peers
YouBikes in Taipei.
Photographer: Billy H.C. Kwok/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
The first time Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je heard foreign residents were to be excluded from Taipei’s much-loved bike-rental scheme was in the middle of an interview Tuesday afternoon. He turned his wrath on one of his aides, telling them to call the transport department.
“Tell them to fix the problem tonight,” he ordered, while simultaneously texting the head of the department himself. “They have to report to me tomorrow morning if they can’t fix it tonight.”