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Compensation for railway delays `should be graded'

Legislators said yesterday that better compensation packages, comparable to those provided overseas, should be offered to travelers who have been inconvenienced by the frequent delays and mishaps that have beset the national rail system in recent months.

People First Party Legislator Chung Shao-ho (鍾紹和) said: "The punctuality of trains is what makes passengers choose this form of transport. But under conditions where passengers are made to wait for long periods of time, not only is their time wasted, but they aren't receiving reasonable compensation. What has happened to consumer rights?"

According to Chung, since the TRA altered train schedules in August, there have been seven major delays on the network, including one of over 98 hours before Mid Autumn Festival in September, which affected more than 50,000 people.

While the current compensation package -- which entitles travelers to a full refund after 80 minutes of delay -- ?is an improvement over the previous system, Chung said that compensation should be graded depending on the amount of time that travelers were made to wait.

"It is unfair that passengers who wait for 79 minutes get nothing," he said.

Chung said that in Holland, compensation is graded, with passengers being refunded 50 percent of the ticket price for delays of between 30-60 minutes, and 100 percent for delays of over 60 minutes. Compensation is also graded in Korea and the UK, Chung said.

The director of the Department of Supervision and Coordination of the Consumer Protection Commission said that his organization has compared compensation packages across different countries and agrees that compensation in Taiwan should also be graded. He added that the Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) is due to give a report on the matter at the end of the month.

Section chief of the Department of Railways and Highways Chang Shung-ching (張舜清) said that while they have prompted the TRA to take other countries' compensation packages into account, whether this is practicable or not remains to be seen.

He added that the TRA should make providing inconvenienced passengers with alternative travel arrangements wherever possible a top priority.

"Passengers should be fully informed about the circumstances surrounding the delay," he said.
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