Citing a recent discrimination complaint, the Taipei City Bus Administration (TCBA, 台北
"We're sorry for what had happened to Mr Liu, and we'll start the investigation right away," said Yu Wei-pin
Yu's remark was made in response to three DPP city councilors -- Lo Tsung-sheng
PHOTO: LIN CHENG-KUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
According to Lo, Liu was waiting for the No. 63 bus at the Sungshan Train Station in Sungshan District on Jan. 7, after receiving a bag of rice and a carton of dry noodles from a local Buddhist temple.
Liu receives relief goods every year from the Tzu Chi Temple (
"The bus driver refused to take Liu and sped off despite the fact that Liu had showed him his [welfare registration] certificates," Lo said. The certificates show that Liu is a senior citizen who lives alone and that he is entitled to ride public transportation free of charge.
"He [the driver] told me that the stuff I was carrying would take up too much space in the bus," Liu said.
Too embarrassed to face rejection again by the next driver, Lo said, Liu opted to carry home his belongings, which weighed about 25kg. The 9km journey took Liu, who is an asthma sufferer and has a lame leg, nearly two hours.
"Although Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
Liu's case is not isolated, Hsu said.
"According to statistics released by the city's Bureau of Transportation
About 840 complaints were about drivers' admonishing senior citizens and the disabled to get on or off a bus. Over 210 complaints were about driver' refusal to accept elderly or disabled citizens' complementary tickets, more than 170 concerned drivers' refusal to allow them to ride the bus and about 140 were about drivers' poor attitudes.
"Bus drivers shouldn't refuse to take senior citizens because the Bureau of Social Affairs has earmarked an annual budget to subsidize their bus fares," Hsu said, adding that the bureau's budget approved for next year by the City Council is about NT$1.6 billion.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source