I express strong disapproval of the Taipei MRT's indifference to human dignity and denounce its loss of core values. After writing many letters to the MRT's operators to complain about a situation that is getting worse day by day and waiting for a reasonable response, there is only one recourse left: sending a letter to the newspapers to rally interest.
I long for the days when the MRT was peaceful. Do you remember the time when its carriages were full of romantic pieces of poetry written by ordinary people longing to share their feelings with you?
Those pieces of poetry have become much rarer now and I want to tell you why: merchandization. There is advertising everywhere, even under your feet (such as on the Xinpu line), and noisy TV sets on the platforms that pour out torrents of discordant advertising.
The MRT allows you to tell them your "precious" opinions, and if you do, they call you back, listen to you very politely, but do nothing to improve the problem you raise. For example, I asked what the main purpose of the TV sets was and asked for the ratio between advertising, educational and safety programs, but the MRT operators never answered these questions.
On another occasion, I told them that the Taipower and Gongguan stations' TV advertisements were very loud, and after repeated complaints, they finally said that they had checked them. But these personnel are probably deaf in one ear, because the advertisements at these two stations are still very loud.
I was also eager to know what the MRT operators are doing with the money coming from advertising, but they never answered the question. If they don't know what to do with the money, I suggest they hire more employees to help elderly people and to ensure that every passenger respects MRT rules.
After analyzing the evolution of the MRT and the behavior of the persons in charge in this company, I say that their respect for the customer is phony, they are stubborn, they insist on cooperation but don't cooperate themselves and they don't care about our quality of life.
The MRT's advertising assails and disturbs passengers. Are people in Taipei not sufficiently disturbed and numbed by the environment already? We want a quiet environment in which to relax, dream and think.
The world is not for sale. It's really odd to see that the MRT looks like the transport system of a communist country rushing into capitalism.
I add a warning. If the whole world becomes neoliberal and allows for no humanist considerations, then we are heading toward a catastrophe. We need watchdogs to prevent the MRT from driving us crazy.
Sylvie Allassonnie
Tamsui
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