Minister of Transportation and Communications Kuo Yao-chi (
Independent Legislator Chen Chin-ting (
"MOTC officials must have failed math in school," Chen said. "They would rather choose the expensive models and ignore the cheap ones."
People First Party (PFP) Legislator Lee Hung-chun (李鴻鈞) criticized the ministry, saying it had insisted on launching the ETC system despite the low adoption of OBUs.
Anomalies
PFP Legislator Liu Wen-hsiung (
In response, Kuo said she would take full responsibility.
"The government is prepared to recall the [ETC system,]" Kuo said.
The ministry last week set a deadline of today for Far Eastern, the company contracted to set up the system, to increase the installation of OBUs to 100,000, or it would cancel one of the lanes set aside for the ETC.
Yesterday, Kuo said the ministry would not immediately cancel one of the lanes if Far Eastern failed to reach the target.
"It will take about seven to 10 days to inform motorists regarding changes in traffic signs and dividing lines between lanes," she said.
By yesterday, the number of OBUs installed had reached approximately 85,000 units. The goal of having 100,000 OBUs installed remains the same, Kuo said. However, she added that alternative arrangements would be made if Far Eastern was nearing the target.
Meanwhile, the legislature's transportation committee yesterday agreed to set up a special committee to investigate the bidding process for the ETC system.
Hostess bars
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wei Ming-ku (
Wei said that Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmaker Cho Po-yuan (
The transcripts Wei referred to included phone numbers and dates, and the contents of conversations among Far Eastern representative Tsai Ching-hung (
The contents also included references to other major government projects, such as one with Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp.
Wang refused to comment on the allegations, saying the incident was in the middle of a legal proceeding and that legislators should refrain from speaking about it.
Wei added that Vice President Annette Lu (
Lu yesterday dismissed the allegations.
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
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COLD FACTS: ‘Snow skin’ mooncakes, made with a glutinous rice skin and kept at a low temperature, have relatively few calories compared with other mooncakes Traditional mooncakes are a typical treat for many Taiwanese in the lead-up to the Mid-Autumn Festival, but a Taipei-based dietitian has urged people not to eat more than one per day and not to have them every day due to their high fat and calorie content. As mooncakes contain a lot of oil and sugar, they can have negative health effects on older people and those with diabetes, said Lai Yu-han (賴俞含), a dietitian at Taipei Hospital of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. “The maximum you can have is one mooncake a day, and do not eat them every day,” Lai