The past few years have seen a boom in the sharing economy. Private workspaces are popping up not only in stores, but also in the MRT. In stations with heavy traffic, two or three cubicles can be found in whatever little space is available. People can use them to rest, get some work done, take a call, or whatever use they need. Some even use them three or four times a week.

Yang Ssu-min
FTV reporter
Have you ever gotten a call while out of the office, asking to hop on a virtual meeting? Where could you go? Well, in some MRT stations there’s a space like this available for rent, equipped with a desk and chair so you can get some work done.

If you need to join a meeting, you can hurry over to one of these individual cubicles. Plug in your charger, popin your earbuds, and you can take the call in peace and quiet. There’s even a small fan by your feet to keep you cool.

The cubicles provide a space for people to work or rest between engagements. It costs NT$1.5 per minute, totaling less than NT$100 for a half hour. To many, that price is worth it. The owner says that compared with the same period last year, usage has increased 20 to 30%. The sharing economy has grown in recent years. Even a convenience store chain is getting in on the business, offering cubicles for NT$100 an hour, 24 hours a day.

Customer
Three or four times a week. I plan my time well. I’ll take my second meeting on the way between my first and third meetings. I chose this one since it’s between the two meeting places, then when I’m done, I can go to the next one.

Passerby
I might need it if something comes up. I might need a quiet place to give a report or something. Coffee shops are pretty loud.

The cubicles are located in highly trafficked, convenient locations on the Taipei MRT, tucked into whatever small space is available. Many have two or three cubicles like this one. In the same station, there are alsothese private cubicles for karaoke, currently all in use. It’s a win-win situation for the businesses and MRT alike.

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