Taiwan Railway's Student Discount Plan Major Changes '8/20 Nationwide Implementation', Up to 50% Discount, Key New Measures at a Glance

To reduce the commuting and hometown return burden of college students, Taiwan Railway has adjusted its student discount plan and will implement it nationwide starting August 20. It offers up to a 50% discount, simplifies the ticket purchasing mechanism, abolishes tiered discounts, and changes to a single fixed discount, making the student ticket purchasing process more intuitive and smooth.

Taiwan Railway announced the student discount plan on July 20, with the applicable travel period starting from August 17 this year and continuing until August 16, 2027. Initially, the design adopted a limited and tiered discount model. Students could enjoy a 50% discount if they booked tickets 14 days or more before the travel date, a 70% discount if they booked 8-13 days before, and only an 80% discount if they booked within 7 days. The discount would revert to the original price once the quota was sold out.

After implementing this system, many students found the calculation of days and ticketing rules relatively cumbersome. Considering the actual user experience, Taiwan Railway decided to simplify the regulations and officially launch the new plan starting from August 20 for travel dates. Under the new plan, the same discount will apply to the same date and the same train, and students will no longer receive different discounts based on the timing of their ticket booking.

Regarding the new pricing method, Taiwan Railway's Deputy General Manager Liu Shuanghu explained that in the future, the actual utilization rate of trains at different times will be used to determine whether the entire train will receive a 50%, 70%, or 80% discount. Once the discount positioning of that class is determined, the discounted ticket price for the entire train will be a fixed standard.

Liu Shuanghu gave an example, stating that if a certain train is set to a 50% discount, as long as there are remaining discounted seats for that class before departure, college students can directly enjoy the 50% discount regardless of how far in advance they book their tickets, completely eliminating the need to struggle for early bird days 14 days or more before the travel date.

In terms of applicable subjects and regulations, the discount applies to students enrolled in colleges and universities approved by the competent authority, and the travel section must be on a reserved-seat train with a distance of 50 kilometers or more. Details such as the student identity verification mechanism, regulations for supplementary ticketing in case of violations, and the calculation method for refund fees will all be handled according to the original plan standards.