E-scooter Pilot Program in Liuqiu Achieves Initial Success

While several electric scooter (e-scooter) pilot projects undertaken throughout Taiwan to popularize such green transportation have registered initial success nearing the end of the second-year e-scooter leasing project in Liuqiu, the only offshore coral-reef island in southern Taiwan, the Pingtung County Government recently announced that daily e-scooter rental volume has risen to an average of 150 unit-cycles during 2013's summer high season, from only 505 unit-cycles in  the whole month of March 2012.

Tsao Chi-hung, Pingtung County Magistrate, said that both tourists and residents of Liuqiu realize that  sustainable development of the beautiful coral-reef island relies on preservation of natural ecosystems, also urging the central government to continue providing budget and resources to help achieve the goal of building Liuqiu into an "island of friendliness".

EVT Technology Co., Ltd. of the Chroma ATE group, an e-scooter maker supplying the e-scooters for rent in Liuqiu, pointed out that it has set up long-term cooperation with Liuqiu's B&B (bed and breakfast) providers in setting up charging posts at their guesthouses, to totally solve range anxiety of e-scooter renters on the island. EVT has also signed long-term contracts with these B&Bs to jointly promote e-scooters for sightseeing on the small island.

A Pingtung government official pointed out that in early 2012 Pingtung County and Kaohsiung City jointly announced kicking off the "low-carbon tourism area" in southern Taiwan; while in May of the same year, Pingtung County government invited a group of tourism specialists to experience the zero-emission e-scooter tour in Liuqiu, which has successfully motivated the guests to promote the e-scooter tour program on the small island. The Pingtung County government has also tried to cooperate more closely with related parties to introduce such green vehicles to tourists.

After two years of development, there are more than 300 e-scooters available to residents and tourists in Liuqiu, backed by extensive charging-station network and 24-hour services. As of the end of November 2013, the e-scooter rental program in Liuqiu has achieved 38,964 unit-cycles, with 77,900 people having tried the green vehicles to ride an average of 50 kilometers each, totaling mileage of 1.95 million kilometers (saving CO2 emission of 115,723 kgs), according to Pingtung County government.

Liuqiu is in the southwest of Donggang of Pingtung County, southern Taiwan, blessed with natural beauty as tidal flats, which tourists can now easily access with round-the-island bicycle and e-scooter rentals. (QL)