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MRT liability insurance payout levels set to rise

The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) plans to raise the minimum liability insurance payment to passengers who are injured or killed on the nation's MRT networks from NT$1.4 million (US$43,500) to NT$1.5 million per person.

Hsu Chun-yi (許俊逸), director-general of the ministry's Department of Highways and Railways, said the MOTC is scheduled to complete the amendment of regulations by the end of this month.

The ministry aims for the new policy to take effect next month.

He said the ministry had reviewed the current compensation standards for claims stemming from injuries or passenger deaths, and found the amount to be insufficient.

After examining the liability insurance payment levels for railways and motor vehicles, MOTC specialists suggested increasing the payment to NT$1.5 million per passenger, he said.

Until the change takes effect, the standard will be determined based on the MRT Law (大眾捷運法), which currently only applies to the Taipei MRT System.

Hsu said that the amendment would also allow the standard to be applied to other MRT systems, including the Kaohsiung MRT system, the Airport Rail and the Taichung MRT system.

The Kaohsiung MRT system is set to go into operation soon, with the ministry expected to complete inspections of the system this year.

The Airport Rail is under construction and the Taichung system has yet to be built.

Hsu said that the figure of NT$1.5 million was merely a minimum requirement.

Each system could increase individual payments depending on circumstances, he said.

The ministry also plans to streamline procedures for disabled passengers when purchasing discounted tickets for public transportation systems.

Currently, disabled passengers are required to fill in an application form before they can purchase tickets at reduced rates.

Hsu said the procedure was time-consuming and caused inconvenience to people with poor vision.

According to the ministry's plan, disabled passengers would only need to present their disability certificates. Operators of public transportation systems would be obligated to fill in the applications on behalf of the disabled passengers.

The regulation is expected to be promulgated on Monday and is scheduled to be implemented on Wednesday, Lunar New Year's Eve.

In related news, the Taiwan Area National Freeway Bureau said yesterday that the price of the on-board unit (OBU) used by the freeway electronic toll collection system would be set at NT$1,199.

The Far Eastern Electronic Toll Collection Co (FETC), the contractor operating the electronic toll collection system, had proposed a sale price of NT$1,249.

Wu Mu-fu (吳木富), director of the bureau's toll and service department, said it had entrusted a consulting firm to assess the FETC's proposed price.

While the consulting firm found that the price was "fairly reasonable," it suggested that the FETC negotiate with its supplier about the price of some key OBU components, Wu said.

"It's their responsibility to work things out with their supplier," he said.

Motorists can still purchase OBUs at a reduced price of NT$680 until the end of this month.
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