Are city buses simply an affordable and environmentally friendly means for commuters to get where they are going? Not necessarily. In order to offer passengers more than just a ride on a bus, the executives of a Taipei city bus operator keep exercising their ingenuity to come up with new helpful services. The latest innovation is the establishment of their unique “music bus” service. Besides basic safety and comfort, the company goes a step further to create a calm and relaxing atmosphere by providing their stressed-out metropolitan passengers and bus drivers with some light music while traveling on the bus.
Shin-Shin Bus Company Equipment and Supplies Section Director Chang Chao-te talked about the new music bus service in an interview with the Taipei Times on Jan. 29. The company first embarked on a trial operation of the service on 11 low-bed buses in early September last year, playing FM99.7 Philharmonic Radio Taipei, a radio station that plays primarily classical music, said Chang. The service was well-received, so later that month the company held talks with Jingo International Records to obtain authorization to publicly broadcast music licensed by Jingo. It also installed a new sound system with USB ports to play USB music files provided by Jingo on a bus to test the waters, continued Chang, adding that the sound quality was good and the service was generally praised by passengers.
Starting in October last year, the bus company begun implementing the service on all of its 365 buses, excluding 37 old buses which were to be replaced with new ones this year. The music bus service was fully launched on Jan. 15, said Chang.
Photo:Lin Ya-ti, Taipei Times
照片:台北時報記者林亞蒂
When asked about the selection of music, Chang replied that Jingo has licensed a total of more than 4,000 pieces of music, ranging from classical music, the sounds of nature, classics from around the world, instrumental jazz to Latin music among others. After a period of trial listening and receiving recommendations from Pan Tung-chu, assistant vice president of Jingo Records, the company has selected 524 pieces — 278 classical pieces, 106 new age piano music pieces, and 140 miscellaneous jazz pieces — and plans to modify its catalogue each season.
While the music bus service is generally well-received, some people still complain about volume levels. The company has therefore decided that the volume during daytime should be 12 decibels (dB) and between 8dB to 10dB at night, said Chang.
Implementing the music bus service has cost the company several million New Taiwan (NT) dollars. Despite the extra cost, Chang said the company continues to plan new and thoughtful services, such as the installation of a system of “sexual harassment and pick-pocketing alarms, including whistles,” which will be completed before the end of March, to help prevent incidences of sexual harassment and pick-pocketing as well as to deter potential criminals from getting on the bus.
If you see a pink Taipei city bus, you will notice that each bus is equipped with reflective stickers on its front and rear bumpers. Chang said this is a sign of the company’s concern for road safety. Furthermore, maps will be printed for each bus line to help passengers conveniently locate facilities near each bus stop, such as restrooms and police stations, Shin-Shin Bus spokesperson Wang Chiang-wei added. Next time when you happen to take one of the pink buses in Taipei, why not calm yourself by listening to the elegant music being broadcast on the bus and experience the considerate services tailored by this bus operator for its passengers?
(Lin Ya-ti, Taipei Times)
公車真的只是個省錢環保的代步工具而已嗎?不盡然。台北一家公車業者為提供公車族代步之外更多貼心服務,主管們不斷發揮巧思,最新創舉即是建置「音樂車廂」服務。除具備基本乘車安全與舒適外,該客運也要提供生活在大都會緊繃環境的民眾以及公車駕駛,在公車上也能享受一趟具有舒緩氛圍的輕音樂旅程。
欣欣客運機料室主任張兆德一月二十九日接受《台北時報》專訪表示,「音樂車廂」於去年九月初在十一輛低底盤公車上,試行播放以古典音樂為主的調頻網99.7愛樂電台。因乘客反應良好,隨即於當月下旬,協商金革唱片公司提供版權音樂播放,並在一輛公車上試裝附有USB的音響設備;經測試音質效果良好,也普獲乘客肯定。
為此該公司決議自去年十月起,在除了即將汰舊換新的三十七輛車外的全部三百六十五輛公車上,進行「音樂車廂」建置播放工作,並於一月十五日全面完成並營運服務乘客中。
問及曲目選擇方向,張兆德回應表示,金革唱片公司提供具有版權之音樂約四千餘首,內含古典、自然舒緩、全球美聲、爵士演奏、拉丁等類別;經試聽及金革唱片公司協理潘同助之推薦,先行選擇古典音樂兩百七十八首、新世紀鋼琴一百零六首及綜合性爵士樂一百四十首,共五百二十四首,並計劃每季調整增減曲目。
即便乘客普遍對「音樂車廂」服務反應佳,還是有些人對於音量大小有所建議。有鑑於此,張兆德說,公司已統一律訂白天音量為十二分貝、夜間為八到十分貝。
「音樂車廂」貼心服務的建置,勢必增加公司動輒數百萬的開銷;不過張兆德表示,公司仍繼續規劃更多貼心設備,例如在每輛車上加裝「防制性騷擾及扒竊警示鈴與警示哨」,以防性騷擾及扒竊情況發生,並遏阻犯意人員搭乘;此服務將於三月底前全部完成。
目前,只要看到粉色北市公車在市區趴趴走,你會發現車體前後的保險桿皆全面加裝反光警示貼條,張兆德表示,這是該公司對行車安全的注重。另外,欣欣客運新聞發言人王強蔚也表示,未來每個路線將印製結合生活便利性的路線圖,提供乘客查詢站牌附近例如公廁、警局等實用資訊。下回若搭上粉色北市公車,不妨沉靜心靈,欣賞一下車內傳來的輕音樂,領略這家公車業者為乘客量身打造的各式美意。
(台北時報記者林亞蒂)
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