Highway bus drivers will be fined NT$90,000 and have their drivers’ license suspended if they are responsible for accidents in which more than 10 passengers are injured or that lead to the death of more than three passengers, the Department of Railways and Highways said yesterday.
Aside from bus drivers, the department said that the bus company would also be held liable for the accidents.
The administrative authority of highways could impose a penalty of between NT$9,000 and NT$90,000.
Depending on the severity of the infraction, a bus company could also be forced to suspend all its operations.
The department said it had set specific standards to determine the penalties for various types of accidents, as the administrative authority has had problems delivering consistent rulings.
DIFFERENTIATED
It has differentiated between general traffic accidents and major traffic accidents.
In each category, the penalty is set based on the number of deaths and injuries in each accident and the driver’s record of violations.
First-time offenders, for example, will be required to pay NT$10,000 if the accident results in injuries to two passengers.
The department said that these standards were administrative orders, which can be executed without getting the approval of the Legislative Yuan.
AMENDMENT
In related news, the department has also drafted an amendment to the Railway Law (鐵路法), which would substantially increase the penalty for misbehavior by passengers.
Dangerous behavior such as jumping off a train before it comes to a complete stop would now be punishable with a fine of NT$7,500, up from NT$1,500.
Passengers bringing pets on board without securing prior approval or following any specific regulation, smoking in non-smoking sections, or littering could be fined between NT$1,500 and NT$7,500.
In the past, fines were between NT$300 and NT$3,000.
The new penalties will have to be approved by the Legislative Yuan before they can come into force.
REJECTED
Yesterday, the department also rejected a proposal by the Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) that suggested setting a different rate for passengers who choose to share a cab departing from THSRC stations.
The company said the proposal was meant to encourage more service operators to dispatch more taxis to the THSRC stations to help transport passengers.
The department, however, said the cab fare should not be different because of the carpool system.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
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