Few people make use of public transport, a survey by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) showed, with ridership on the nation’s public transportation system hovering at just 13 percent.
The survey, conducted between Oct. 6 and Dec. 18 last year, showed that a majority of respondents preferred to drive a car or scooter when traveling. Of the 24,943 valid samples collected, 49 percent said they ride scooters, while 23 percent said they drive cars.
More women make use of public transportation at 17 percent, compared with men, with only 9.9 percent doing so.
When asked why they did not use public transport, respondents cited “inconvenience” as the No. 1 reason. “Living far from the nearest station or stop” and “living close to the destination” were the second and third main reasons.
The survey also found that Taipei City topped other cities and counties in terms of public transportation use, scoring a high 34 percent. It was followed by Keelung City, Taipei County and Taoyuan County, with utilization rates reaching 29.4 percent, 24.9 percent and 11.9 percent respectively.
Those that scored below 5 percent included Hualien County, Penghu County, Taitung County, Tainan City, Chiayi County and Yunlin County. Chiayi City ranked last with only 2.5 percent.
The findings, released on Thursday, came two days after MOTC Minister Mao Chi-kuo (毛治國) said the ministry was budgeting NT$15 billion (US$467 million) on a three-year project to improve the public transportation system nationwide.
Last month, the ministry rejected plans from several counties to build MRT or light-rail systems. Mao said the ministry would continue to use strict standards to evaluate each proposal.
“The government has to be responsible for the operation of railway systems,” Mao said at the time. “Billions in losses will soon occur if the railway system does not carry sufficient passengers to sustain its operation.”
Rather than subsidizing the debt-ridden railway system, Mao said the subsidy would be put to better use developing the public bus system.
He said many places still lacked a good “public transportation system,” adding that what they need is a “public” and not “mass” transportation system. The two are different modes of transportation, he said.
Chi Wen-chung (祁文中), director-general of the ministry’s Department of Railways and Highways, said NT$4.5 billion would be allocated for the first-year of the project. About NT$2 billion will be used to subsidize the bus routes in remote areas and as cross-subsidies for different transportation systems.
He added that the rest of the budget would be spent on specific projects, such as developing “door-to-door” networks from the high speed rail stations and Taiwan Railway Administration stations, he said.
In other news, Kaohsiung City’s Transportation Bureau announced that passengers taking taxis in the city during the Lunar New Year holidays will be charged an additional NT$50.
The measure will apply from Feb. 12 — one day before the Lunar New Year holidays begin — to Feb. 18, the bureau said.
Free bus rides will be provided from Feb. 13 to Feb. 18, the bureau said, adding that residents and visitors to the city could also use the city’s public bikes for free during the holidays.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY FLORA WANG
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
EVA Airways on Saturday said that it had suspended a pilot and opened an investigation after he allegedly lost his temper and punched the first officer several times as their plane was taxiing before takeoff at Los Angeles International Airport. According to a report published on Thursday by The Reporter, the incident occurred after the flight’s Malaysian first officer tried to warn the Taiwanese pilot, surnamed Wen (文), that he was taxiing faster than the speed limit of 30 knots (55.6kph). After alerting the pilot several times without response, the first officer manually applied the brakes in accordance with standard operating
Japanese Councilor Hei Seki (石平) on Wednesday said that he plans to visit Taiwan, saying that would “prove that Taiwan is an independent country and does not belong to China.” Seki, a member of the Japan Innovation Party, was born in Chengdu in China’s Sichuan Province and became a naturalized Japanese in 2007. He was elected to the House of Concilors last year. His views on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) — espoused in a series of books on politics and history — prompted Beijing to sanction him, including barring Seki from traveling to China. Seki wrote on X that he intends
RSS