TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A trio of friends have raised over NT$187,000 (US$5,960) for local charities by riding Taiwan’s public bicycles nearly the entire length of the country, and donations continue to roll in.

Anthony Braybrooke, Gianni Eliani, and Pieter Funnekotter finished their 520-kilometer journey on the three-speed, solid frame YouBikes on Friday (Dec. 8). Starting from Taiwan’s northernmost YouBike station in New Taipei’s Baishawan, the trio spent six days riding to the country’s southernmost area near Kenting in Pingtung County.

Speaking to Taiwan News on Sunday, Braybrooke said the trio undertook the journey with no support crew, riding for eight to nine hours per day. The trip was motivated by the friends’ mutual appreciation for the public bike system (“There’s nothing like that in our home countries,” Braybrooke said), and a desire to give something back to Taiwan, where they have all lived for about five years.

The trio is raising money for two local charities: Bright Side (嚮光協會) and the Garden of Hope Foundation (勵馨基金會). Both charities work with children, women, and other disadvantaged groups to overcome difficulties associated with domestic violence, developmental disabilities, and poverty.

Braybrooke said the success of the GoFundMe page took him by surprise. After meeting the roughly NT$40,000 that they hoped for initially, they increased the amount twice further to the approximately NT$200,000 it is currently, of which about NT$187,400 has already been raised.

The trio's itinerary is plotted out. (WeBike Taiwan image)

Though the journey is complete, the public can still make donations. Braybrooke said the GoFundMe page will stay open until around New Year’s Day. He said they are keen to raise as much money for the charities as possible, though they are also eager to send the money to them.

The trio opted not to tell YouBike of their plans, Braybrooke said, and just got on with the journey. He said they knew the ride was possible after doing some preliminary research about the various fees for taking a YouBike across county borders.

Braybrooke said the highest YouBike rental fee for a day was about NT$900, for taking the bikes between New Taipei and Hsinchu. The cheapest was their southernmost leg, which cost about NT$200.

Other than some slightly higher than normal fees, they said that the journey, for the most part, went off without a hitch. They had no accidents on their way down south, cars kept their distance, and only one day had to swap their bikes because of their poor condition.

All three also declined to ride electrically assisted YouBikes (available only in some cities) for any part of the journey, despite temptation being there, Braybrooke said.

Only once did a member of the group question their decision to ride the length of a country on a city bike, after arriving in Taichung and voicing curiosity about train schedules. That might sound fair already, but it is even more reasonable considering only one in the group was a regular biker, as Braybrooke said the other two rarely cycle.

Those interested in donating to the charities chosen by the trio can do so via the group’s GoFundMe page “WeBike Taiwan.” Braybrooke said they will continue to share content from the journey on social media until the GoFundMe page closes.

Braybrooke, Funnekotter, and Eliani are pictured outside Taichung's Zhuifen Station. (WeBike Taiwan photo)