New Taipei City to expand senior card use to hot springs, shopping next year amid welfare gap concerns

New Taipei City is preparing to broaden the scope of its senior citizen welfare card, commonly known as the "Respectful Senior Card," to encompass a wider range of services starting in 2025. The proposed enhancements aim to allow cardholders to utilize their benefits for hot springs, tourist buses, and specialized transportation services like the paratransit and hospital shuttle buses.

City Councilor Chen Nai-yu and others have voiced concerns that these expanded benefits might widen the existing disparity in resources between urban centers and remote rural areas. They highlighted the difficulties faced by seniors in remote regions, such as limited public transportation and the long distances required to access medical care in city hospitals. "The addition of senior card benefits will only exacerbate the urban-rural welfare gap," they argued, questioning the city's data on usage rates between different areas and urging for the shopping function to be made available sooner in places like Wulai and Wanli.

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The addition of senior card benefits will only exacerbate the urban-rural welfare gap. Are there statistics on the difference in usage rates of the senior card between urban and rural areas?

In response, New Taipei City's Social Affairs Bureau Director Li Mei-chen stated that the city has not previously analyzed the disparity in card usage between urban and rural areas but will investigate the matter. The plan includes a phased rollout, with hot springs, tourist buses, and medical check-ups at public hospitals and health centers potentially available in the first half of next year. The second half of 2025 could see a monthly limit of 300 points allocated for purchases at farmers' associations, pharmacies, and convenience stores.

Councilors also pressed for assurances regarding the policy's long-term continuity, especially given its projected timeline extending to 2029, when a new city administration might be in place. Director Li responded that the policy's continuation is a priority, considering both technical and financial feasibility, and that the current administration is committed to responsible implementation. The overall budget for system modifications, equipment upgrades, and the second-generation card replacement is estimated at approximately 900 million New Taiwan dollars over two years, with annual point and subsidy expenditures projected to reach billions.

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We have not conducted an analysis of the disparity in card usage rates between urban and rural areas before, but we will investigate it in response to the councilors' concerns.