TAIPEI: A total of 2,425 FamilyMart convenience stores across Taiwan started offering high speed rail ticketing services yesterday, enabling passengers to buy or pick up tickets outside train stations in mere minutes.

As of 9:45 am, 345 orders for tickets had been placed at Taiwan FamilyMart Co convenience stores island-wide, Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation (THSRC) said.

The convenience store's ticketing system hopes to cash in on the ticket buying habits of high speed rail passengers. According to THSRC research, 70 percent of its customers buy tickets earlier on the same day that they travel.

Using the FamilyMart service network, passengers will be able to book tickets for trains departing from one hour to 15 days after the purchase is made for an extra service charge of NT$10 per ticket, THSRC said.

In addition, the company explained, the public can also book high speed rail tickets on the Internet or by telephone in advance and then pick them up at FamilyMart convenience stores.

FamilyMart has invested some NT$50 million ($1.56 million) in the ticketing system, and the tickets passengers get at its stores will have upgraded anti-forgery safety measures and QR code numbers.

A QR code is a two-dimensional bar code.

More than 4,000 7-Eleven convenience stores are also expected to launch the high speed rail ticketing service in May after negotiations between the two companies come to a conclusion, THSRC added.

According to a THSRC spokesman, the company is planning to launch stored-value cards in the form of ticket books and monthly passes with discounts in the months ahead.

China Daily/CNA

(HK Edition 02/24/2010 page4)