Taiwan Quick Take: THSRC prices questioned

Lawmakers serving on the Legislature's Transportation Committee complained yesterday that the ticket prices set by the Taiwan High Speed Rail Co (THSRC) were too high, and said the company's request for government compensation for selling discount tickets to children, the elderly and the handicapped was unreasonable. The THSRC announced its ticket prices plan last week. The prices were calculated by charging each passenger NT$3.655 per kilometer. A ticket for a trip from Taipei to Kaohsiung, for example, would cost NT$1,490. Bureau of High Speed Rail Director-General Wu Fu-hsiang (吳福祥) confirmed yesterday that the company had asked for compensation for discounted tickets from the government, but said the bureau had yet to approve its request. Minister of Transportation and Communications Tsai Duei (蔡堆) said that the ministry would consider the company's request.