台汽客運彰化總站

Locations

July 20, 2019

Taiwan Motor Transport Company (台灣汽車客運公司), or simply Táiqì (台汽), was a state-owned enterprise founded in 1980, partly to take advantage of the newly-completed National Freeway 1 (國道一號) running along the west coast of Taiwan from Keelung to Kaohsiung. Considerable investments were made into an extensive fleet of vehicles, more than two dozen bus stations, and a massive maintenance depot. Despite enjoying a monopoly on long distance, intercity coach travel, the company struggled to remain profitable in its first decade of operations—and when the market was deregulated and opened to competition in the early 1990s, its fate was sealed. After incurring another decade of losses Taiqi was privatized in 2001 under the name Kuo-Kuang Motor Transport Company (國光汽車客運股份有限公司), which continues to operate today, albeit on a much smaller scale. One consequence of the downsizing that preceded privatization was the closure of the Changhua Bus Terminal in Changhua City, the administrative capital of Changhua. Today it remains derelict, a crumbling relic of the optimistic 1980s hidden in the laneways north of the central railway station.

A former bus terminal in Changhua City. The orange-brown structure in the background is attached to the rotunda. It once housed offices and staff quarters.

Approaching the loading bays. Nearby residents haven’t done very much to reuse the space apart from park a few cars and store some old junk near the open doorways.

Inside the former bus terminal in Changhua City. Note the curved stairway leading to a flooded basement.

A distinctive tile mural decorates the wall at the heart of the Changhua Bus Terminal.

The tile mural at the heart of the bus terminal deserves some additional explication. From left to right it appears to depict three landmarks in Taipei: Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall (國立中正紀念堂), the Presidential Office Building (總統府), and what might be Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall (國立國父紀念館). This is followed by an unambiguous representation of the Great Buddha of Bāguàshān (八卦山大佛), the most famous landmark in Changhua City. Finally, is that the fortified Éluánbí Lighthouse (鵝鑾鼻燈塔) on the far right? That would make sense—it is located at the southernmost point of the island, an allusion to the bus company’s expansive network.

The Great Buddha of Baguashan, one of Changhua’s most famous landmarks, is plainly visible on the tile mural.

Gazing up at the radial rooftop inside the main station hall.

It seems likely this station was abandoned in the late 1990s, not long before Taiqi was effectively dissolved. The lack of Kuo-Kuang insignia suggests that this station was already closed by the time daily operations were transferred in 2001. Sometimes a closure like this can be explained by local population dynamics—but contrary to expectations Changhua City was undergoing a growth spurt throughout the 1990s. Perhaps the station was never operating at capacity? This would not be surprising, particularly since Changhua exists in the shadow of neighbouring Taichung, with its vastly superior transportation options. At any rate, long distance buses bound for Taipei now depart from a modest building¹ at the Hépíng (和平) and Zhōngzhèng (中正) intersection, not far from the front of the railway station.

Ticket windows with a fare table and schedule overhead.

Behind the counter at the Changhua Bus Terminal.

Heading upstairs reveals another side of the bus terminal: a hostel for employees, a useful feature for drivers plying the late night routes far from home. Something like a dozen dorm rooms and a set of communal washrooms can be found on the top two levels of the building, but none of these are particularly interesting, nor are there many intriguing artifacts left behind. The only outlier is a headless doll on a chair in the corridor, obviously a prop from a photo shoot, and no cause for concern.

A headless doll propped up on a chair in the upper levels of the station, which doubles as a hostel for drivers and station personnel.

A glimpse inside one of around a dozen dorm rooms set aside for drivers to rest.

Stamps and other necessities in a back room.

A newspaper from 1998. The station probably closed around this time.

Station plan and city map over a shuttered entrance in the main hall.

Peering down at the distinctive skylight piercing the rotunda.

One last look at the abandoned bus terminal in Changhua City.

Although this bus terminal is popular with urban explorers in Taiwan, both for its accessibility and the impressive size of the main hall, not much is written about it online. It is worth noting that this is one of the last remaining relics of the original Taiqi transportation network that hasn’t been renovated or destroyed. For more about the Taiwan Motor Transport Company check out my post about their former maintenance depot, now vanished.

Update: as of 2025 the old bus terminal has been cleaned up and repurposed as a family-friendly tourist attraction, Qiandong Changhua Parent-Child Park (芊動彰化親子園區).

I was informed on Facebook that this is the original intercity bus station for Changhua City, predating the construction of the terminal documented in this post. ↩

Warning: this location is abandoned, hazardous, or otherwise neglected and may be unsafe and even dangerous! Exercise appropriate precautions when visiting.

警告：此處已廢棄或長期無人管理，可能存在潛在危險。造訪時請務必提高警覺，並做好相關安全防護措施。