It’s been three years already since the first time I stepped my feet on the Formosa land (and the last time I wrote my post on this blog). However, I’ve never got a chance to ride scooter by myself even they are very popular here. It’s like, scooter is the most convenient way to get around in Taipei (also in the whole island). I’ve been driving car here for more than a year now with my International Driving Permit, but never tried to (both legally and illegally) ride scooter since I don’t have a valid Taiwan scooter license.
Although sometimes I drive to the office, I always want to use public transport more often. My office in Neihu Taipei is nowhere near MRT or bus station, so it takes me roughly 30 minutes to get me from the office to Songshan Airport where I need to take the highway bus to Zhongli (I live there btw). Over the weekend I came across an article about WeMo then I decided to give it a try.
François Devatine inspired me on his blogpost and I just knew from his blog that we are actually allowed to ride green-plated scooters with Taiwan car license. He used his Taiwan car license to register WeMo though, so I accept his challenge and register with my IDP. Please note that my IDP is B category (for car) but I already have it registered with the Taiwan local DMV office. Long story short, I installed the app, register with my car IDP, then after two hours my registration was approved.
Finally I got a chance to try the scooter this morning on my way to the office from Songshan airport, and it was super easy to find one. The scooter was literally like in every corner in Taipei. Should be less than 5 mins walking before you can ride one. Riding was smooth and easy although I was a bit nervous since it was my first time. Riding took around 15 mins including walking to find the scooter, so I think I can save 30 mins everytime I go to the office (note that I am not required to work in-office everyday).
The only problem with WeMo is that it is currently only available in northen area (Taipei city, and some part of New Taipei City and Banqiao). It would be perfect for me if they expand the service to Zhongli so I don’t need to wait for city bus everytime I wan’t to go around when I’m stuck in too-far-to-walk and too-close-to-drive situation. By the way, you can use my reference code NFATWTEK if you wanna get free rides for trial. 😉