Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport began offering free bus services to Taoyuan on Monday as an alternative to quarantine taxis, according to the airport management corporation.

Two new daily services at 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. will take arriving passengers to seven quarantine hotels in and around the city, including the City Suites Taoyuan Gateway, the Monarch Plaza Hotel, Well Garden Hotel, Miyue Shiji Hotel, Joyfultel, Fullon Hotel Linkou Branch and Highness Hotel.

Taoyuan International Airport Corp. said the additional service was added in response to the Central Epidemic Command Center on Monday raising the nation’s weekly cap of overseas arrivals from 40,000 to 50,000 with immediate effect.

In addition, the routes are subject to expansion after considering the government’s latest pandemic response protocols and factoring in the needs of travelers, the company said.

Future routes could be added to improve the efficiency of the service and commuting experience of passengers, it added.

Since existing bus services taking passengers to Taichung, Yunlin County, Chiayi City, Chiayi County, Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Pingtung County were made free on Aug. 1, as well as adding New Taipei and Taipei, the program has received a largely positive response, the company said.

Current statistics suggest 36.9 percent of arriving passengers opt to either utilize the service or to have friends and relatives pick them up.

Detailed information on the free bus service program can be found on the Taoyuan International Airport website and the Facebook page of the bus company.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel