On 22 September, Taipei City and New Taipei City city-administered bus routes are free from the first bus through the final scheduled service-day trip, including eligible overnight services that continue after midnight. The Red and Blue sightseeing bus lines are excluded. Do not tap a card or put money in the fare box on participating buses.
What is actually free?
The two city governments say the World Car-Free Day offer covers 719 Taipei and New Taipei city-bus routes and 5,842 buses. It applies regardless of where you board or get off on an eligible route. The free period runs from the first departure on Tuesday 22 September until that service day's last bus; the Taipei transport announcement explicitly includes overnight buses that begin as part of the 22 September service day.
The important boundary is the phrase city-administered bus routes. The offer is not a blanket “all public transport in northern Taiwan is free” deal. The Taipei sightseeing bus Red and Blue lines are specifically excluded, and travellers should not assume intercity coaches, the Airport MRT, Taiwan Railways or high-speed rail are included.
Do you tap an EasyCard?
No. Taipei and New Taipei's notices say riders should board eligible buses without tapping a stored-value card and without paying cash. That means the ride itself is free, but it also means there is no normal electronic bus-fare record for that trip.
If your journey also uses the MRT, YouBike or another paid service, keep your EasyCard or other normal payment method with you. The free-bus promotion does not make those unrelated services free unless a separate offer applies.
New Taipei has a separate four-day rail offer
New Taipei has added a second World Car-Free Day incentive that runs for four days, from 19 to 22 September. During that period, the Sanying Line, Danhai Light Rail and Ankeng Light Rail are free all day, according to the New Taipei City Government transport announcement of 17 September.
That extra rail offer is a New Taipei initiative on those three named systems. It should not be read as free travel across the entire Taipei Metro network. If your trip uses a different MRT line, budget for the normal fare.
For visitors: where this can save real money
The promotion is most useful if you already planned a bus-heavy day — for example, neighbourhood hopping beyond the MRT grid, using a bus for the last leg to a sight, or moving between Taipei and New Taipei on a route administered by either city. It is less important for a traveller whose whole day is built around the MRT, because normal metro fares still apply outside the three specific New Taipei rail lines above.
A sensible approach is to keep your EasyCard topped up anyway. You may need it before or after the free ride, and the easiest way to avoid confusion is to check the live route/operator information rather than assuming every vehicle that looks like a bus is participating.
What about transfer discounts and passes?
Because participating buses are being boarded without a card tap, you should not plan around a normal bus-to-MRT or MRT-to-bus transfer discount being generated by that free ride. Government information on the campaign also says users of passes such as TPASS do not receive a separate refund or compensation simply because the bus ride is free that day.
That is not a reason to leave your pass at home: it remains useful for the paid legs of your journey. It just means the 22 September bus promotion is a zero-fare event rather than a cash rebate to pass holders.
New Taipei Coffee Day adds a small extra
New Taipei is also tying the campaign to its “New Taipei Coffee Day” activity at Civic Plaza on 21 and 22 September. The city says people who travel by public transport, take a photo of their journey and share it on their personal Facebook or Instagram can redeem a Starbucks coffee voucher at the plaza under the on-site rules. There are 2,000 vouchers, available while stocks last.
This is a promotional extra, not part of the transport entitlement. If the coffee matters to you, check the city notice again on the day for the current redemption conditions rather than travelling across town solely on the assumption that vouchers remain.
Why the cities are doing it
Taipei has marked 22 September Car-Free Day for 25 years. This is the first joint Taipei–New Taipei free-bus campaign of this scale. Both governments are pitching it as a one-day nudge for drivers and scooter riders to try public transport rather than as a permanent fare change.
For residents, that makes the day a practical test of whether a normal commute can be done without the car. For travellers, it is simply a useful fare-free day — provided you stay inside the published eligibility rules.
What to check on 22 September
- Confirm your exact bus route is a Taipei City or New Taipei City administered city-bus route.
- Do not tap or pay on a participating bus unless the operator's live instruction says otherwise.
- Keep your EasyCard/payment method for MRT, rail, bike-share and other paid legs.
- Remember the Red and Blue sightseeing bus lines are excluded.
- If using the New Taipei rail offer, stick to the three named systems: Sanying, Danhai Light Rail and Ankeng Light Rail.
- Check live service notices if weather, traffic or an operational disruption changes your route.
Sources
This update is based on the Taipei City Government transport announcement, the New Taipei City Government 17 September update, and the Taiwan government's English-language summary of the joint free-bus programme. We distinguish the 22 September bus offer from New Taipei's separate 19–22 September rail promotion.
Cheers, Carpe Diem & enjoy the rare pleasure of a zero-dollar city bus ride! 🍻⏳🚌
TATS Man
Totally Taipei's public-transport news desk